Two Swimmers, One Passion
by angelcarstairs4679
Summary: Nanase Haruka is the best swimmer around until Matsuoke Rin comes into her life. Will rivalry spark through this relationship or would something else unfold? Female Haru! Events from the anime may change!
1. Two swimmers

**Yo guys! I'm back with a new Free! fanfic! This was a request among a bunch of requests from Shiranai Atsune and since I'm almost done with my other stories (and also I need an outlet to release all my fangirl desires on the Timeless Medley movies), I thought I could give this a try. I have some ideas on how this would go but for now, I would be updating on a weekly basis until further notice.**

 **So in this story, Haru is a girl but the rest are still guys. I did some checking and found out that there are mixed medley relays that have been added into swimming competitions but since the rules are that there have to be two guys and two girls, lets see how it goes with this story.**

 **Drop any comments on this story. I really appreciate it when you tell me how you felt about it and I would really love to hear from you guys!**

 **I don't own the characters.**

 _The water is alive. Once you dive in, it will bare its fangs and attack. But, there is nothing to fear. Thrust your fingers in and create an opening. Then, push your body through. Your arms. Your legs… yours chest…_ Those words went through Haru's head as she dove into the water for what may be the fifth time that day. "Wah! Haru-chan is such a smooth swimmer!' Nagisa squealed as he bounced on his toes, watching the young girl swim through the water. She was like a dolphin and her best friend, Makoto smiled as he watched her swim, his green eyes shining with happiness and admiration when a boy caught his attention.

The other boy had red hair and shark-like teeth, making the young boy shudder a little when he cracked a grin. He looked at Haru like she was a prey to him, his teeth ready to tear her apart when he entered the water. Makoto opened his mouth to shout to Haru when he realized he was just being really stupid. Or was he jealous? No way he would be jealous… Haru's his best friend and he would never do anything to hurt her…

"Oh, who's that?" Nagisa chirped as Makoto came back to his senses to give him a small smile. "Oh, that's Matsuoka Rin. He transferred from Sano SC last week," Makoto started when the boy dove into the water, barely making a splash as he started to swim freestyle. He was fast and the two boys watched as he eventually caught up with Haru, both of them kicking off the wall at the same time to swim back. Haru snorted in her head as she saw the disturbance next to her but at the same time, something else bubbled within her that made her want to go faster…

She kicked out as she paddled, faster than normal and she began to feel her body power forward. However, the boy next to her seemed to have the same idea as well and he was soon neck to neck with her. "What a pain," she thought to herself as she swam faster, both of them neck to neck until the end where she sent out a burst and hit the wall first. She emerged from the water, pulling off her cap to reveal long, black glossy hair that fell into the water. As she panted, a hand reached out to her and Makoto smiled, "Good work, Haru-chan!"

"Lay off the –chan," Haru muttered as he shrugged, "Well, you are a girl so you should just stick with it." "Makes me sound girly." "You are a girl, Haru!" "Yeah, Mako-chan." "Haru!" "Haru-chan! You were so fast! I really want to swim like you one day!" Nagisa chirped as he bounced on his toes, his voice so high pitched that he could pass off as a girl. Haru had to admit he was really cute and she wanted to reach out to pat his head when she heard a voice. "Wow! You're really as fast as they say!" the red haired boy from earlier grinned as he leaned on the buoys floating in the water, a smile on his face as his red eyes twinkled with excitement. He didn't look the least tired from the swim.

He got out of the pool and extended a hand to Haru, a smile on his face as he said, "I'm Matsuoka Rin! Nice to meet you, Haru-chan!" He then looked her dead in the eye, red meeting calm blue as he said, "Say! Would you join me in a relay?" Those words hung in the air as two words floated into Haru's head. Annoying. Idiot. "Uh, Rin. We don't have relays with boys and girls in them," Makoto sighed as Nagisa chirped, "Wah! We're doing a relay?! Let me join!" Rin laughed as he clicked his fingers against the younger boy's head, making him squeal a little as he smirked, "You heard him. No way we can do a relay together."

He sighed as he walked to the pool to stand on the starting block, his eyes filled with mischief as he turned to face Haru. "But I can race you," his grin was so off-putting that Haru couldn't help but walk over and pull her cap on her head. "Hey, we're really doing this?" Makoto squeaked as Rin ordered, "Time us!" Makoto didn't complain as he ran to grab a stopwatch while Nagisa stood at the side, watching as other kids began to come over to watch them.

"Wow, that kid really has the guts to go against Haru-chan!" "She's the fastest! No way he can beat her!" "Really? She's a girl and he's a guy so guys are faster right?" As they bickered among each other, Rin turned to the side and smiled at Haru. "Check it out. You're a celebrity here. Wonder why you're not aiming for any of the national competitions at the rate you're going," he said as she shrugged, "I don't care about my time. I just want to be free." He cocked his head to the side as he giggled, "Wow, you're a weird girl." He snapped his goggles against his head and put his arms forward, fingers curling against the starting block.

"Oi! What are you guys doing?! Get back to swimming!" Goro shouted but the kids remained glued to the scene unfolding in front of them. Makoto looked a little pale for having gone against the coach's orders but Haru's determination to do this made him smile, wondering how Rin had managed to catch her attention even though they had only met five minutes ago. "On your marks!" he shouted as he placed the whistle in his mouth. He blew it and both of them plunged into the water.

The swimming pool filled with shouts and cheers as both of them swam, both at equal pace and speed as one another. "Wow! Haru-chan is so fast!" "Come on, new kid! Show them who's boss!" As the kids shouted, Haru felt the usual pain in her chest as she swam, the normal feeling of having all the air sucked out of her lungds. But being in the water gave her the energy she needed to power on. And there was a certain annoying red head in the water who might just be able to beat her and she couldn't allow that.

Both of them made the turn and headed back, swimming with all their might as their friends cheered. "Haru-chan," Makoto whispered as he watched her swim, her movement so precise and graceful it was like watching a dolphin weaving in and out of the ocean. As she passed by him, he felt his heart thump a little harder as he shouted, "Go for it! Haru-chan!" Haru heard his voice pierce through the water and she gave a cry as she reached out and slammed her hand onto the wall at the same time as Rin.

The pool erupted with cheers and applause as both of them broke the surface, panting as Goro stared at them. "Incredible, Matsuoka-kun! You might actually do pretty well in the upcoming competition!" Rin smiled as he rubbed his head, his goggled and cap in his hand as he turned to look at Haru. "Hey, great job, Haru-chan!" he grinned as he lifted a hand for her to hit. She scowled but high-fived him anyway as she thought, "What a pain." "Actually, Matsuoka-kun. There is a mixed relay that you guys might be able to join. You up for it?" Goro asked as Rin grinned widely, "Of course!" As he turned to face Haru, she thought that for once in her life, someone seemed to be peeking an interest in her.

 **Now that its a gender-bent story, I can go all out with the RinHaru ship! Hehe.**


	2. Start of a new year

**The weekend is here guys! Hope you enjoyed this story so far! I don't own the characters.**

Haru stared at the ceiling of the bathroom, her head submerged in the water as she thought to herself. "How I can't wait to be normal,' she sighed to herself when she heard the sound of the front door sliding open. She groaned as she continued to wait for the signal of Makoto's arrival when a knock issued on the door. "Haru-chan! You in there?" he called as Haru's head popped from the water, her hair dangling in wet locks around her face as she shook her head free of water droplets. As she did so, Makoto offered a hand to her, a smile on his face as he greeted, "Good morning, Haru-chan."

"You know there may be a chance of me being naked if you walk in here without knocking," she grunted as she stood out of the bath, Makoto's hand steadying her to reveal a black and blue swimsuit fitted on a curvy body. As Makoto tried not to stare at her chest, he fumbled, "Today is the first day of school so I didn't want you to be running late." "You're not a grade-schooler anymore Makoto and you're not my mother either," she said as she got out of the tub before she toweled herself.

"Aren't you going to shower?" Makoto asked as she shrugged, "Breakfast." With that a rumbling sound issued from the depths of her stomach and Makoto laughed as she casually walked down the stairs, water still dripping from her hair as she entered the kitchen and pulled an apron over herself. "You're going to cook with your swimsuit on?" he mused as she dropped a piece of mackerel into the pan and some bread into the toaster. Makoto had given up long ago about trying to get Haru to have a healthy diet so he took to just watching her cook.

"Stop staring," she muttered as she flipped the fish into the plate and picked up the toast from the toaster. She put them into the oven and went up to change, leaving Makoto to sit down and stare at the view from the kitchen. The sea was calm that day, the air outside a little cold but nice enough to offer a cool refreshing breeze. He thought of how much time had passed since they first met as kids and he recalled when he first met Haru, her blue eyes staring at him in wonder as his mother carried him in her arms.

The first time they had actually interacted was when he had gone to the playground to play with the other kids and as they had run off to see something, he had tripped over the tiny hump of sand he made in the sandbox and would have cried if he had not heard a cool voice. "Are you alright?" Haru had asked, her voice soft and her blue eyes filled with concern as his green ones watered. "Hmm," he smiled as he took her outstretched hand and allowed her to pull him to his feet. Ever since that day, he had been friends with her, chasing her from behind whenever their paths met and initially, she had a boy cut that made her seem like she could have passed off as a boy. Later on, she started to grow out her hair, making her look more girly and pretty.

A blush crept up Makoto's cheek as he thought about Haru when the door behind him slid open. "Hey, you ready Makoto?" she asked, her hair still wet and plastered onto the back of her nape. He sighed as he saw how her ribbon was untied and he made a move to make it neat. "Stop," she muttered as Makoto laughed, "You look like a mess, Haru-chan." She scowled as she dodged away from him, snatched her breakfast from the oven and walked to the doorway to put on her shoes.

Both of them soon were on the road to school, students milling about as they headed for their first class of the year. The cherry blossoms were in full bloom, the flowers clinging to the branches as the wind threatened to blow them away. Makoto smiled at the beautiful sight of it when he noticed Haru untying her ribbon a little. "Haru-chan, you shouldn't be so sloppy," he groaned as she muttered, "I want to be free and comfortable." He giggled at those words, thinking of how those words resonated with her.

When they step through the school gates, some eyes turned to both of them and Makoto tried to stop thinking about how they looked like a couple. "Wow, that girl's so pretty!" "Yeah, you wanna go ask her out?" "No way man! That big dude gotta be her boyfriend." "Wah! He's so cute!" As the whispers filled his ears, Makoto tried to stop himself from blushing and thinking weird things when Haru tugged his sleeve, her eyes focused on the board propped outside of the gymnasium. Makoto understood her signal and they made their way to see which class they were in.

"We're in the same class again," he beamed as she scowled, "Whatever." As usual, Haru didn't seem to care about anything but waiting for summer to come to allow her to swim in the ocean. "I hope summer comes soon for you to swim again," he smiled as Haru turned away, trying to hide the flush in her cheeks when they heard someone squeal their names. "Haru-chan! Mako-chan!" their names resonated in the corridor they were walking through and both of them turned to see a strawberry-haired boy standing afar, a huge smile on his face as he waved at them.

"Nagisa-kun?" Makoto blurted as Nagisa barreled into him, hugging him so tightly he thought he would break. "Nagisa," he groaned as Haru muttered, "Hi, Nagisa." "Wah, you're so pretty now Haru-chan! No wonder all my classmates were talking about you!" he chirped as he examined her face, his pink eyes shining as his eyes moved to her chest. "Big," he remarked as Makoto squeaked, "Don't comment on a girl's chest, Nagisa!" His face was red with embarrassment as Nagisa grinned, "Wah, I didn't know Mako-chan was so protective of Haru-chan."

Makoto's protests failed to reach Nagisa as the younger boy dragged them to the roof, the cold air hitting their faces as they stared at the school grounds. People milled about, some old friends greeting each other while others looked lost for words, searching for people to talk to. "It's been how long? Three years since we last saw each other?' Nagisa asked as Makoto smiled, "Yeah, its been that long." "After the SC closed, I didn't take up swimming in middle school so it been a while since I went for a tournament," Nagisa sighed before his eyes sparkled.

"Eh?! Is that a pool?" he squeaked as he leaned dangerously over the rail, making Makoto grab him by the back and pull him back in. "Yes but it hasn't been used in ages. We don't have a swim club either," Makoto said as Nagisa's gaze went down. "Oh," he said as he looked at the ground. Makoto didn't want to say that he was hoping there would be a swim club as well when he entered Iwatobi High School but he didn't want to say anything that would upset Haru.

"Say Haru-chan! You wanna go to the SC tonight?" he grinned as Makoto gaped, "oh no you don't! That building is abandoned now and we would be trespassing!" "Well we're young so let's just take this opportunity of our youth and have fun! What do you say?" he smirked as Haru grunted, "Fine." It had been around three years since Goro couldn't get enough cash to keep the SC running and ever since then, Haru had yet to swim in a proper pool save for the bathtub. As she watched the other two guys bicker with each other, she thought of how things would soon turn pretty wrong.


	3. Accidental meeting?

It turns out that things could get out of hand very quickly. The three teens found themselves standing outside the building of the SC, the place abandoned for so long that the painting of swimming children on the wall had been streaked with mold. Makoto was shaking like a leaf, a spade in his hand as he mumbled, "Eh, now that we know tis going to be demolished for real, can we leave now?" "We just got here!" Nagisa whined as Haru thought, "Guys."

"Don't worry! I have the solution to our problem," Nagisa grinned as he removed a small packet from his bag and dipped his hand into it, moving to Haru with a grin. "Here you go!' he said as he sprinkled slat all over her clothes before moving on to Makoto. "Are you sure this would work?" he wailed as Haru muttered, "Don't be a chicken and let's go." She just wanted to get out of there and stay in bed since the only reason she was even here in the first place was that there was the promise of a large volume of water.

The three of them made their way into the lounge, Nagisa's torch shining into the darkness as Makoto clung onto Haru for dear life. Haru remained as uninterested as ever, even though they heard the sound of a can being kicked in the distance and that made Makoto jump out of his skin. "Come on, Mako-chan. Don't be a baby," Nagisa muttered as Makoto snapped, "I can't help it!" "And I thought you were a guy," Haru said as Makoto wailed, "Not you too, Haru!"

They soon found themselves in the waiting area and Haru could recall the times when they were younger when their mothers would be watching them from above as they swam, calling out their names when they finished their lesson for the day from bringing them home. She could still remember Makoto's squeaky voice calling to his mother while she would just look at her own before going to change. As she stared out of the window, Nagisa chirped, "Hey! They still have these old photos out!"

He gestured for them to come over and he pointed at the pictures lining the walls. One of them featured younger versions of them along with a familiar red head, a grin on his face as all of them smiled at the camera. It had been the day where they had a special event where there was a three man one girl relay event so of course Rin had dragged them into it. "I know this sounds crazy, but my late father used to be in a relay so I wanted to experience the sight he saw when he did it. I know it sounds dumb but yeah, haha!" he had grinned.

When they did it, Haru had never seen such a beautiful sight in her life. There was not only raw power in their strokes but beauty in their alignment, their bodies moving in and out of the water as they gasped for air, reaching for the goal for the other person to jump in. their names rang throughout the pool as they shouted for each other, screaming for them to go on. As Haru watched Rin swim ahead of her, she could only think of how beautiful the stroke was and it warmed her to see him to it before she leaped into the pool.

"What are you three doing here?" a voice boomed from the shadows, making Makoto yell and hide behind Haru as a figure emerged. The sound of sneakers squeaking against the floor was heard as a tall boy their age walked into the room, his face obscured with a cap as he growled, "I see you three are still together." With that he pulled the strap of the cap, letting it hit against the back of his head with a snap when Nagisa and Makoto blurted, "Rin?!" The red head was much taller than before, almost the same height as Makoto and he had grown much more mature as compared to the bubbly kid he used to be, a unfamiliar scowl on his face.

"Hey, Haru. You still hanging around these losers?" he growled as Haru gulped. She wasn't used to seeing him so angry but recalling what had happened in their first year of junior high… the memory of it made her want to puke. She remembered how they had met at the train crossing and gone to the sc to race each other only for Rin to lose. He had cried and left in a hurry, not listening to her pleas as he walked out of the pool. The only thing she could feel at that moment was guilt. Guilt for making Rin feel as though all his time training in Australia had been for nothing while she had hardly made any effort. While she didn't care about her times, she felt guilt for being fast when Rin had to try so hard to be at her level. That made her drop out of the swim team. If Rin couldn't swim, she would not swim either.

"Come on. Let's race," he said as he walked to the pool area. "What?! Here and now?!" Makoto yelled as Haru walked after him. "Haru! Come to your senses!" he shouted as Haru lifted her shirt, making the boy squeak and turn beet red as a shirt and a pair of pants landed on him, revealing a blue and black swimsuit underneath it. "Big," Nagisa commented as Makoto fumbled to get the clothing off his face. "Haru! You have to at least wear a …." He fumbled to say the words and instead stared at the ground, his face turning red like a tomato.

"100m. Freestyle," Rin snapped as he yanked off his clothes as well. Makoto would have smiled to see how both of them were so into swimming that they would wear swimwear underneath their clothes if it weren't for the mad situation they were about to do. "Come on! Let's go!" Rin snapped as he raced to the starting block and curled his fingers on the concrete. Haru did the same, not caring to look under her when Rin shouted, "Ready?" Before he could utter the word 'go', Nagisa shined a light into the pool to reveal mold and a cracks.

"There's no water in the pool guys," he grinned as Rin huffed, "Lame." He draped his goggles over his shoulder as he leaned down and picked something from the ground. "You remember this?" he asked as all of them recalled the event where he made a time capsule and placed the trophy they had all won into it before burying it outside Iwatobi SC. "Romantic, isn't it?" he had smiled while Haru thought it was just a lame, childish idea.

"You can have it. I don't need it anymore," he growled as he dropped it to the ground, making Nagisa and Makoto fumble to catch it while Haru stared at Rin in the eyes. Where was the happy red head she used to know? Now the person in front of her was only consumed by rage and sadness. She felt her stomach turn even more as she opened her mouth to say sorry. She wanted to apologise for taking his dream away from him and that she had punished herself for being so careless about it. But before she could say anything, he had turned and left, leaving a distraught Haru who could only bite back the tears for hurting her friend.


	4. Samezuka Academy

**Weekend is here! I don't own the characters.**

Haru lay down in the tub, her swimsuit clad to her body as she stared at the ceiling. Her mind was not functioning right now and she sighed as she plunged her head into the water, her hair billowing around her to darken her vision as she tried to hold her breath and drown all the guilt in her. "Sorry… I'm sorry…" she thought to herself as she recalled the day Rin came home from Australia.

She recalled how they had met at the crossroads of the train, the barriers just coming up to reveal both of them standing on either side. She recalled how Rin was lost in thought, his usual smirk not on his face and a dark aura hanging around him as he looked up in surprise. "Haru-chan," he said as she asked, "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to me in Australia?" "I'm on holiday," he said as the barriers of the train crossing went up, leaving the space between them free for each of them to pass. But instead of moving to the other side, Haru watched as Rin walked over to her and leaned into her side, whispering, "Race with me."

Those words made her shudder as she thought about it. It had been a while since she swam and she wanted to get back into the pool if possible. With the cold winter they were having now, it was impossible to swim unless they go to an indoor pool so they soon found themselves standing outside of Iwatobi SC. The whole way, both of them didn't speak, letting a heavy silence settle on them as Goro shouted, "Oi, Rin! What are you doing back here?" "Holiday," he muttered as Goro grinned, "Just finished for the day! What brings you two here?"

"We came here to race," Rin said as Goro scowled. "I just closed up!" he muttered as Rin looked at him with pleading red eyes, red bleeding into Haru's heart as the boy begged him to let them race. Eventually, Goro relented and unlocked the door, letting them both in. They trekked the pool area, the lights off and the water shining in the darkness, bringing peace into Haru's heart as she whipped off her top and tossed it to the ground before stripping off her shorts. "Oi Haru! Don't go stripping like that when boys are around!" Goro shouted as he turned on the lights, illuminating a thin Rin pulling off his clothes to reveal his swimsuit underneath.

Both of them got onto the starting blocks and crouched, Goro standing at the side with the whistle in his hand. "Why are you doing this, Rin?" Haru asked as Rin snorted, reaching his hand out to hold onto his goggle strap. "I want to make sure that this isn't all for nothing," he whispered as he snapped the strap against the back of his head as Goro shouted, "On your marks!" With that, the whistle went off and they dove into the water, swimming as fast as they could.

Haru felt energy ripple through her as she paddled through the water, the water bringing her to life as she swam as hard as she could. It has been a while and she felt so glad to be part of the water again. But something was wrong. She couldn't feel Rin in the water, his presence normally bleeding into the water around her was not there. What's going on? She wanted to turn around and cry out for him, screaming his name when she felt something move next to her.

They reached the turn and headed back to the starting block. She felt her heart hammer against her chest. She kicked out faster, moved her body through the water as Rin did the same. In her mind, she could tell she shouldn't go fast. She had to let him win. But if she did that, would Rin ever forgive her for doing it? Would she be forgiven for hurting him in the very sport he devoted his life to? With a scream, she slammed a hand onto the wall as she pushed herself from the water, panting as Rin climbed out of the water.

"Not bad Rin!" Goro grinned as he reached to pat the boy on the back. Instead, Rin snarled as he whacked his hand away, sinking into the ground as Haru pulled herself up. "Rin," she whispered as tears welled in his eyes, shining as he whispered, "I quit…." He slammed a fist into the ground as he shouted, "I quit!" With that, he turned and walked out of the pool area and as he passed Haru, she could see the tears flying into the air, shining as she felt the last of his joy tear away from him as he walked off.

Ever since that day, she had been afraid to swim, always being reminded of the crushing guilt of what she did to Rin. She felt her heart cry out to him, reaching for him and try to beg for his forgiveness but instead she couldn't. So she did the only thing she thought was right: if Rin couldn't swim, she won't swim either. No matter how much it hurt her, how much she hurt Makoto. Asahi. Ikuya. Everyone who devoted their time to seeing the sight they wanted to see so badly. "Forgive me, everyone," she told herself as she turned her back on the world of swimming.

"Haru-chan!" a voice chirped from beyond the water as she popped her head from the bath, gasping as she took in ragged breaths. She gasped as she heard the front door slamming and feet moving up the stairs to the door sliding open. "Nagisa!" Makoto yelled as Nagisa squeaked, "Gah! I didn't know you were in the bath!" "You could have knocked…" she muttered as a female voice squeaked, "Senpai! Nagisa-kun!" A redhead popped into the bathroom, her red eyes shining as she looked at Haru when Haru cocked her head, "Who are you?"

"Oh. This is Matsuoka Gou," Makoto said as she bowed, "Nice to meet you, Haruka-senpai!" As she raised her head, she stared at Haru in her swimsuit before squeaking, "Haru-senpai! Do you always do that?!" with that she dragged both boys by the shoulders and marched them out before she turned to face Haru. "Meeting downstairs in five minutes!" With that she slammed the door, leaving Haru to sigh and pull on clothes as she thought of why she was getting bossed around in her own house.

"I heard about you meeting my brother the other day. I want him to go back into swimming. He just isn't himself when he isn't swimming all the time," Gou started as she poured tea into cups. Haru nodded at her as she took a sip of tea, the tea warming her up as Gou continued, "So, I propose we start a new swim club! That way, my brother would get back into competitions and want to swim once more!" "But the pool is in a mess!" Makoto started as Nagisa squeaked, "I know! Why don't we ask Amakata sensei to let us start the club? I think she would be okay to do it!"

"Great! We go see her tomorrow then!" Gou squeaked as she and Nagisa hopped on the spot, dancing around as Makoto tried to get them to calm down. "Haru! Say something!" he whined as Haru sighed. "As long as I have water, I'm in," she muttered as Nagisa squeaked, "Thanks, Haru-chan!" As Nagisa buried his face into Haru, Gou muttered, "Huge chest" while Haru remained pretty impassive as Makoto pulled the younger boy off her. As they debated on how they were going to present this new proposition, Haru thought of how she might finally be able to apologize to Rin for hurting him so much.


	5. Rebuilding the swim club

"What a mess," Makoto muttered as he stared at the cracked up pool. The air was still a little chilly and they stared at the bulk of cleaning they had to do in order to restart the swimming club. "Well, all that matters is that we've been given the green light to start! Now, off to it!" Gou said as she turned to move away. "Hey, Gou-chan! Where are you going?" Nagisa yelled as she shouted, "To get some cold drinks for everyone!" "Sheesh," Haru muttered as she climbed into the pool and pulled on some work gloves to begin weeding out all the plants sticking out of the concrete. She didn't care how hard this work had to be. As long as she could swim, she would do anything. Also, it wasn't like she had anything better to do.

Makoto smiled as he watched her work on the pool, a small pile of weeds already forming next to her as Nagisa whispered into his ear, "Hey, Mako-chan. When are you going to ask Haru-chan out?" Makoto yelped as he stumbled to the side while Nagisa peeked into his face with a wicked grin that made his skin crawl. "Don't say that Nagisa. She's just a childhood friend so I haven't got anything to say about that," he muttered as he began to weed his patch. Nagisa squatted next to him and began to do the same for a while before he piped up, "She is pretty so it wouldn't be long if someone would ask her out."

"Well, would you ask her out?" Makoto retorted as Nagisa grinned, "Who knows?" Makoto sighed as he thought of how he had to defend a too calm and not caring Haru whenever boys tried to ask her out. She would normally just say that she would just swim and want to be free before Makoto stepped in and hauled her away while apologizing to a bewildered admirer on her behalf. His face turned red as he thought of how embarrassing some of those moments had been as a face swam in his mind. He shook his thoughts away, thinking of how he didn't feel that way for Haru but he couldn't say the same for a certain swimmer at Samezuka…

The days went on as they repaired the pool, the place gradually becoming cleaner and more usable as the weather began to become warmer. Makoto wiped the sweat off his brow as he leaned against the side for a moment, panting from having scrubbed the pool clean when he saw Haru still at it at full force, her lithe body pushing the brush with fervor. He knew she couldn't wait to swim and he prayed she could get into the pool as soon as it was ready.

Amakata-sensei helped them buy supplies as well and would bring them to the hardware store to grab some stuff. Makoto nearly died when he saw Haru trying to strip and dive into a fish tank and the thought of seeing her pull off her shirt without second thoughts made his cheeks turn bright red. While they were at it cleaning the pool, they were also trying to grab members to join them since the rule was that they had to have at least four people to form a club. Technically, Gou was a member but she was the manager so they needed another swimmer but unfortunately, that wasn't going as well as they would have liked.

Nagisa had taken into frightening the life out of his fellow juniors and upperclassmen into joining the club but with the large range of clubs available at their school and how not many people wanted to swim, it made things really difficult. Haru tried to do her part in carving out some keychains for people who joined the club but that didn't go well either and they ended up with a box filled with keychains of the town mascot.

"Well, at least the pool is nearly done!" Gou beamed as she looked at the empty pool, now all patched up and ready to be filled. "I'll tell the guard to start filling the pool and then we can get to work with trying to open the swim club!" she said as Nagisa nodded, "Hm. I was thinking if we ask Amakata-sensei to wear a swimsuit to promote the club. She's popular with the guys so I'm sure she would be able to catch their attention!" As he said those words, they felt a dark aura behind them and they slowly turned to see a seething Amakata-sensei standing behind them, a smile on her face as she whispered, "Don't you dare to ask me to do that."

After that encounter, talk about trying to get her to wear a swimsuit died and the foursome were left with no other option to recruit members. Nagisa was at a loss in trying to promote the club while Haru and Makoto didn't know what to do. Nagisa sat at the bench of the train station, waiting for the train to come when he saw a guy standing next to him. He stared at him for a moment before asking, "What are you reading?" "Isn't it obvious?" the boy muttered as he pushed his glasses up his face. Nagisa stared at him a bit more before he snapped, "Quit staring at me!"

"Sorry…" Nagisa pouted when a thought came to mind. "You seem like a good athlete! Why don't you join the swim club?" he chirped as the boy snorted. "Me, swimming? Why would I take part in such a sport? It isn't beautiful at all! Swimming in water? Flailing your arms like a drowned rat?! I don't want to look ugly doing it!" he howled, his hands on his head as he squatted on the ground as Nagisa cocked his head, "Wow, you really take beauty in doing sports seriously." "Why of course! That's why I do track and field! With the right calculations, I am able to produce a perfect shape and outline to obtain a perfect form!"

"What's your name?" Nagisa asked. "Rei. Ryugazaki Rei," he muttered as Nagisa said, "How about this? Why don't you try the swimming club and then you can see just how beautiful it is! We have a swimmer called Haruka and she is really good at swimming!" Rei frowned at the words as his mind filled up with a train of thoughts. He thought of how he would love to swim but he didn't know how to and it was too late to learn it so that's why he joined the track team because it was the easiest to learn with his calculations and theories in mind. But somehow at the back of his mind, he couldn't resist the urge to say yes to the strawberry-haired boy.

"I'll think about it," he said as Nagisa squeaked, "Really? Thanks so much!" He barreled into the larger boy, making him protest as the train pulled into the station. Nagisa released him and hopped on the train, a huge smile on his face as he turned, "You not getting on?" "I think I'll run back," Rei muttered as Nagisa mused, "Wow! After a whole day of training too! You're really fit, Rei-chan!" "Oi, don't go calling me that!" he protested as the doors of the train slid shut, leaving a grinning Nagisa to wave goodbye as the train pulled out of the station. As it moved down the tracks, Rei stared at his book, the page he was at lost to him as he thought, "Swimming, huh?"


	6. New swimmer?

**Being able to revisit and relive the moments of this amazing anime just brings so much joy to my heart as I write about them. I don't own the characters.**

"Wow! The school is huge!" Nagisa chirped as they stood outside the gates of Samezuka Academy, boys milling about s they walked back to their dorms from classes or headed to after class activities. Eyes followed Haru and Gou as the group was allowed into the school and Haru watched as some boys nudged at each other as they tried to muster their guts to speak to them. "Hey, Mako-chan. You better protect Haru from all of those guys," Nagisa grinned as Makoto tried not to feel as though he would melt from all the stares the guys shot at him. They must have thought Haru was his girlfriend.

Rei, on the other hand, looked like he wanted to puke as they walked to the swimming pool, the large structure covered by a large glass dome that made the light sparkle off the surface of the water. He turned his head around, watching as people dived into the pool or did their stretches at the side as Gou sighed, "Muscles! Muscles everywhere!" "Gou-chan, can we go inside and not look at the muscles?" Nagisa muttered as she snapped, "Muscles are everything, Nagisa-kun! And it's Kou! Not Gou!" Nagisa relented as they walked in to be met by a loud yell.

"Hello there! Welcome to Samezuka Academy!' a voice boomed as a large orange-haired guy walked towards them. He was clad in a pair of Speedo swim trunks and Haru tried not to wrinkle her nose as she thought of how he looked at his eyes shone, "Cute!" His eyes glanced over to Gou, who squeaked as he winked, "Want to go out with me?' "Captain! What are you doing with my sister?!" a voice roared as a red-head strode over, glaring as he frowned at the lot. Haru gulped as the captain shouted, "Oh, I didn't expect you to be here, Matsuoka!"

"Just came to see if these losers would actually show up," he muttered as he walked off to the stands. The captain stared at him, rubbing his head as he introduced himself as Mikoshiba and showed them to the changing rooms. As he did so, Rei turned into a shade of red as he said, "I didn't bring swim trunks…" "Rei-chan! You knew we were coming here today!" Nagisa said as he snapped, "I didn't know we're entering the pool!" "Come now, we have spare ones so don't worry. Oi, Nitori! Get over here!" Mikoshiba yelled as a voice squeaked, "Hai, Captain!"

A short boy with grey hair and a mole on his cheek came up, his body small and lithe as he panted before grabbing Rei with such force they got a shock as he dragged the larger boy to the changing rooms. As he protested, the others got to work on changing and some heads immediately turned when they saw Haru peel off her shirt to the dismay of Makoto. "Haru," he moaned as she whipped off her shirt, making some jaws drop as she did her stretches. The boys stared at her like she was an exotic animal until their captain yelled for them to get back to training.

Haru looked at the stands, searching for Rin to find him leaning against the railing, staring at the scene below him but not looking at them at all. As he refused to stare at her in the eye, she felt her heart sink with disappointment as Mikoshiba said, "Don't worry, Haruka-chan! We won't race with you or anything so don't feel shy." Haru scowled as she thought of how they thought about her as a girl as she muttered, "No need." With that, she got onto the starting block and leaped into the pool, barely a ripple forming after her as she took to the surface.

"Wow, that chick's fast!" "Shit, she might be faster than me!" "Who is this girl?" As voices traveled through the pool, Makoto watched as Haru swam with ease despite not having swum for so long. It was though she belonged to the water and she was finally home. He thought she might have been better off being born as a dolphin. She soon reached the starting block, barely panting as she removed her cap and shook her head to let water rain from her hair as Makoto held a hand out to her, "Good work, Haru-chan." With a scowl, Haru let him pull her up, earning them glares from the swimmers.

Just then Nitori hauled a fumbling Rei to the pool clad in a pair of yellow swim trunks. As the boy yelped about how ugly he looked, Mikoshiba hauled him to stand at the queue of boys waiting to jump into the pool as he said, "Don't worry! Just have fun! No one's gonna look at your trunks!" He smacked Rei in the back and the bespectacled boy scowled as he pulled on his cap and stared at the water in front of him. As he did so, calculations ran in his head, the maths telling him how far to jump and how his body should bend to enter the water smoothly.

"Ah! There's Rei-chan!" Nagisa shouted as the whistle went off. Haru was standing at the side, towel in her hand as she watched the boy leap into the air, his form perfect as he curved his body. "What a beautiful form," Makoto started to say when Rei fell flat into the water with a smack. Haru winced as she thought of the pain he must have felt as the others shouted in disbelief before turning in gasps of shock when he failed to resurface. "Rei…" Makoto started when Haru threw her towel to the ground and leaped into the pool, not caring to pull on her goggles and started to search for the boy. She soon found him, floating in the water with his hands wrapped around his legs, his face so red as though he was on fire. She grabbed him by the arm and pulled him to the surface, their heads breaching the water as he gave a loud gasp.

"I can't swim," he muttered as they stared. "Why didn't you tell us?" Makoto murmured as he snapped, "I couldn't bear the shame of telling you I can't swim! I wouldn't look beautiful if I did…" As he hung his head low, Mikoshiba laughed as he patted him, "Don't worry! It's not too late to learn! Everyone has to start out like this!" That seemed to make the boy turn purple when Haru squatted next to him, her blue eyes shining as she said, "Be free." With that, she stood up and walked over to the pool and got ready to dive in once more. She could feel all eyes on her as she leaped into the pool, a pair of red eyes staring hungrily at her as she dove into the water.

…

Rin hated the fact he had to ignore them. He scowled whenever he saw them but deep down, his heart hurt about having to see the pained faces of his former teammates, especially when they had shown him something he had always wanted to see. He clenched his chest as he thought of the sight they saw, how beautiful their strokes had been and how determined they were to win. Then he remembered how Haru swam. She was so beautiful, a fish in the water as she leaped above him. He thought he had seen an angel as she plunged into the water, light shining around her as she entered the water.

He watched as she swam, looking at how she pulled her arms in and out of the water with ease. Not like a machine, but in natural sync, in and out without tiring. He always wondered how she did not tire even after swimming almost none stop for the entire hour of their swim lesson. He thought she was weird but at the same time, something called out to him about her. When he felt her eyes move in his direction, he turned, trying to hide his blushing face from her as he tried to remove his thoughts of her.

When he saw the other Iwatobi swimmer make his epic entrance into the pool, he would have laughed when he saw him failing to submerge. As he watched, he thought of how his own father had drowned at sea in a storm despite being a swimmer and thoughts of being suffocated by gallons of water and being dragged into the darkness made his heart race in panic as he prepared to run and help the guy when he heard a splash. He didn't have to turn to see who it was.

He watched as Haru brought the guy to shore and propped him against the wall. When he saw that he was alright, he breathed a sigh of relief until he saw Haru knelt next to him, saying something to him that made Rin's heart curl with anger. Why did he feel jealous when he saw Haru talk to another guy? He was fine with her being with Makoto but for some reason… he just didn't like this new guy. He scowled as he walked away, trying to push away any thoughts he had about Haru as he walked back to the dorms, not able to see the people who brought him so much pain.


	7. Training camp

**Having quite a bit of fun writing this even though I have two assignments due next week. Haha, happy day! I don't own the characters.**

"Training camp?!" the guys blurted as Gou brandished a piece of paper in their faces. Haru stood nearby, toweling her hair dry as the boys protested about it. "How are we going to afford it?" Makoto asked as she snapped, "I don't know! One way or another, we need to beat Oni-chan in the competition next month so we have to train! Besides, this looks like a good idea unless you have a better one, captain." Not wanting to argue, Makoto just let Nagisa take over as he slunk over to Haru, who asked, "What did she recommend this time?" That girl was as impulsive as her older brother…

"I like the idea of a training camp but we don't have enough funds for it… and she wants to do it at a desert island as well so where do we find that?" Makoto groaned as he sat down on the chair and stared off at the pool, where Rei was still practicing on his butterfly. He was glad the younger guy had managed to find the stroke he like and he was now improving by each passing day. It was amazing at how fast he managed to learn butterfly, one of the hardest strokes to learn in swimming in such a short time span with just a few words from a certain someone.

Makoto recalled Haru and Rei just sitting at the fence, watching the wind blow the short blades of grass in the breeze before a butterfly settled on it. Rei had been really upset about not being able to do any of the strokes, sinking like a rock whenever he tried one of them until he gave up in frustration. Haru had stopped her routine and walked over, plopping down next to him and joined him in scowling at the grass. "Haruka-senpai, how do you swim?" Rei had whispered and Makoto had heard the words he always thought made Haru who she was coming from her lips.

"Just be free," she said as Rei muttered, "But how do I be free?" At that moment, the butterfly fluttered into the sky and Rei watched as it disappeared into the blue sky as Haru murmured, "Just do what you think its right. Don't let other people force you into something you don't want to become." With those words, Haru leapt into the pool and Makoto had to yell at Haru to stop swimming since they had to go home soon. But even as he shouted, he had saw something flickering behind Rei's eyes, something that indicated that all hope wasn't lost for him.

They had returned to see him swimming butterfly perfectly the next day. His form was beautiful and even though he was slow, Makoto smiled as he thought of how he had finally managed to find the stroke that suited him. Ever since then, they had been able to train properly with the occasional help from Goro, who stopped by to train them and help Rei improve himself. Just then, an idea came to mind.

"Say Gou, maybe we can ask the teachers about this and the coach. They might be able to help us out," Makoto said and before they knew it, it was summer vacation and they were on the way to the islands on Goro's squid boat. The man had said he would bring them over there to save transportation costs but since money was still an issue, they had opted to camping on the beach. When they got onto the boat, Makoto tried not to stare at the water, the memory of people drowning in it forming in his mind as Haru placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Makoto, you don't have to force yourself on this trip," she whispered, knowing full well how much courage it took for him to go near the ocean. Despite that, he smiled as he helped the others haul their stuff onto the boat, saying, "Don't worry. I got over that memory a long time ago." Haru wasn't convinced by that, remembering how much the boy had trembled as they watched the funeral procession pass by them and how it had affected him for years. Makoto may look strong but inside, he was a soft and kind person who couldn't bear to hurt a soul. Haru took to just keeping an eye on Makoto throughout the boat trip, letting her presence calm him as they raced across the clear water.

"Wah! The ocean!" Nagisa shouted as they stood at the beach, the sun sparkling off the water as waves lapped against the shore. It was indeed a beautiful sight and Haru felt like she needed to strip and jump in right away to get the sweat off her body. "Hey Haru! Let's set up the tents first!" Makoto called as Nagisa and Rei wrestled with how to set up a tent. Haru sighed as she went to help out while Gou and Amakata-sensei went to check out the facilities and get supplies for them. Haru often wondered why she had to do the work with the guys when she was a girl but she didn't care, as long as she got to swim.

"Ready guys?" Nagisa smiled as they stood at the beach, the wind hitting their faces. Makoto smiled as he let the wind calm him but despite the calming water edging him to come closer, he still felt some uncertainty in his gut. As Nagisa told Rei how to swim using the board he had been given, Haru sidled up his side and placed a hand in his, squeezing it as she whispered, "Its not too late to turn back." Everything in Makoto turned him to turn tail and run but he couldn't bear to turn his back on the team, not when they had finally been able to form a team again.

"I'll be fine. Let's go!" he shouted as he dove into the water, soon moving out to deeper water. Haru watched as her best friend swam out into the ocean before she pulled on her cap and goggles and dove into the water after him. She could hear Nagisa and Rei jumping in as well, all of them soon paddling through the water. Haru smiled as she saw the schools of fish swimming underneath them, the sun lighting the coral underneath as they moved to the first island. When they reached it, they ran 3km before jumping into the water again to the next island.

Despite it being really taxing, they found it a wonderful experience. The islands were beautiful and as they ran across the beach, they could see how beautiful the ocean was in the daylight, the sun sparkling off its surface and being able to run with each other and experience the sights made them happier still. Rei was tired out due to not being used to such taxing swimming but when he was on land, he outran most of them anyway and at the end of a long day of swimming and running, Haru thought she might have gained some abs.

"Come on guys! Dinner is ready!" Gou shouted as she held a pair of tongs in her hand, waving for them to come closer. They had just finished their shower but the smell of food drove them to the barbeque place quickly, Haru nearly drooling when she saw mackerel grilling among the other assortment of food. Soon they were digging in, with Makoto having to stop Haru from swiping all the mackerel while they chatted and talked about what happened that day.

They spent a while staring at the stars before retiring to bed for the night. No one had any qualms for going to bed early and most of them were soon out like a light. Rei and Makoto were in the same tent while Nagisa and Haru stayed in the other one since there wasn't enough room for Haru to squeeze in with the other girls. She was used to it anyway since she used to share a bed with Makoto whenever he came over to sleep when they were kids. She flushed a little, thinking of his sleeping face, slight blush on his cheeks as he rubbed his nose…

"Rei!" she heard the sound of shouting in the distance and she opened the flap of the tent to see a storm raging outside. As she stepped out, she covered her eyes to block the wind from hitting her face when they widened in horror. Out in the ocean, she could see two figures bobbing in and out of the water, one of them with brown hair. "Nagisa! Call sensei! Rei and Makoto are in trouble!" she snapped as she shook the younger boy awake. Nagisa yawned a little as he walked out but the storm soon shook him awake and he yanked off his shirt as he shouted, "Haru-chan! Go call the others!" He dove into the water and shot off at Rei's direction. She could see Makoto bobbing not too far off being his head sunk under the water.

Glad she had the habit of wearing her swimsuit at all times, she stripped off her clothes and dove into the water, powering through as she searched for Makoto. "You moron!" she cursed in her mind as she searched for him, gasping for air as she took a breath when she saw him. "Makoto!" she screamed as she dove in once more, reaching for him as the water tried to drag him under. No. No way she was going to let him die on her like that. Not when he had been there for her all this time, putting up for all her weird tactics and her habits. Not when he brought back swimming into her life.

At long last, she found herself yanking him onto the beach of one of the islands, panting as she deposited him as softly as she could onto the sand. As she panted, she crawled over to him, staring at him as she tried to feel for a pulse. "Makoto! Makoto!" she cried as she shook him, cursing when she thought she couldn't feel a pulse for a moment. She held a finger under his nose and when the soft feeling of wind hit her damp skin, she smiled when she noticed his chest failed to rise and fall.

Thoughts raced through her head as she thought of CPR. She knew how to do it but she had to… she shook off those thoughts, knowing now wasn't the best time to think about having to kiss someone as she pinched his nose and gently pried open his mouth, moving hers closer as she tried to breath into his mouth… her face was blushing so furiously that she thought she would die…

At that moment, Makoto gasped as he coughed out sea water and Haru nearly got a mouthful of it in her face as she darted backwards, watching as he best friend hacked up water from his lungs before hugging him "Makoto!" she shrieked as she held onto him, the brown head gaping as he tried not to think of the flesh pressing against his bare chest. "Haru! What happened?" he fumbled as she tried not to slap him. "You idiot! You're afraid of the ocean and you dove in to save Rei?! What were you thinking? You could have drowned!" she shrieked as she buried her face into his chest. "If you died… I wouldn't have known what to do…" she whispered as she felt his hand on her head. "Thanks, Haru-chan," he whispered as he stood up, wobbling a little as he muttered, "We have to find the others. " Haru got up and steadied him by her side as they walked along the beach, trying to make sense of their surroundings. This was going to be a long night.


	8. Tournament time

Weeks went by and soon they were standing at the train station, waiting for the train to take them to their first competition in three years. Haru could feel the anticipation rising in her chest, the thrill of having to dive into the pool and battle it out with other swimmers. She would love to swim with Makoto and the others but unfortunately, she couldn't due to obvious reasons. Rei looked like he hadn't slept the entire night and no one could blame him. It was his first competition after all.

"Ah! It feels like we're a team again!" Nagisa smiled as he stretched his arms, really awake despite having just woke up an hour ago. He was bouncing on the balls of his feet as Rei recited calculations in his mind, trying not to panic over what was coming. Makoto just watched as they pestered each other while Haru stared stoically ahead, ready to dive into the pool. "Your events are between ours so we can watch you and vice versa so don't worry Haru," Makoto smiled as Haru snorted, "Yeah." "Come on, don't be like that Haru-chan! We may not be able to swim together but its fine!" Nagisa said.

That wasn't what she meant. She wanted to swim with them so badly, be on the same platform with them. The other girls didn't bring the thrill the same way they did. Sure, she couldn't compare the level boys were compared to the girls but there was another reason underneath it all. Rin came bubbling in her mind, his grin making her heart race as he dove into the water, swimming as he tried to beat her. She would smile, feeling at ease as they swam together, only the tide of the competition ready to blow them off course.

The train arrived and not long later they were at the swimming arena, the sun beating their backs as they walked past many swimmers, boys and girls alike. Some of the boys ogled the girls as they walked past and the small group made their way to the registration area. Haru was glad for once that she was a girl because she was the only one whose name wouldn't get mistaken for a guy's. as the others tried to find their names on the sheet, she heard the sound of buses rumbling into the parking lot and she saw team Samezuka piling out of their bus, a certain redhead missing from their midst.

"Rin," she whispered as Makoto said, "We're done!" Turning to search for Rin one last time, she sighed as she walked into the cool interior of the complex, people sitting around as they stretched and went through preparations. "The feel is back," Nagisa sighed as Rei muttered, "I think I'm going to throw up…" "Hey, you're here to show them your beautiful butterfly! Don't go dying just yet!" Nagisa scolded him as Rei sighed in defeat. Haru looked around, searching for faces she hadn't seen in a while.

"My, if it isn't Nanase Haruka," a voice sneered as she turned around to see a group of girls standing nearby, all of them clad in their swimsuits. As Makoto tried to hide his blushing face and Nagisa tried not to comment about their chests, the leader stepped forward as she sneered, "Just because you were a prodigy when you were younger, doesn't mean you're one now. Its been years since you swam so watch out." "Don't worry. I will," Haru muttered as she scowled, flipping her ponytail in the air as she turned to walk away with her team.

"Miyagi Girls Academy, eh? They're the female equivalent of Samezuka Academy," Nagisa said as Gou turned to Haru. "Haruka-senpai, don't let them get to you! You can do this!" "I'm not worried," Haru muttered as she watched the girls walk away. She knew the leader, Emiya Sakura who had been a rival in both swimming and romance, in a way. She had always liked Rin but when she saw how the redhead ignored her and always went to Haru, she would flare up and try to get back at them even as kids. Haru couldn't understand why she thought she and Rin were an item.

"Hm, first is Mako-chan. Then its Haru-chan followed by me and Rei-chan!" Nagisa said as he scanned the pages of the events schedule. Haru stretched as she watched people do the same thing below. Team Miyagi was already below, all of them doing stretches as boys watched them from above and tried not to have a nosebleed. Haru felt really hot but as she tried to take off her shirt, Makoto begged her not to unless she wanted men to fall dead around her. "Men under 18 100m backstroke, please make your way to the pool immediately," a voice said over the speakers as Makoto grinned, "My turn."

"Good luck, Mako-chan!" Nagisa chirped as he tried to hug Makoto only to be restrained by Rei. "Good luck, Makoto," Haru muttered as Makoto smiled, "Yup!" He walked off and the others waited as he walked along with the other swimmers, bodies with toned muscles making Gou swoon as they took their places behind the starting block. The whistle sounded and all of them leaped into the water, gripping the bars as they waited for their signal. "Come on, Makoto," Haru whispered as the gun went off, Makoto shooting into the water.

"Go go go, Makoto! Swim swim swim, Makoto!" Iwatobi cheered as he swam, the crowd going crazy as the swimmers swam. "And swim! Swim! Swim!" Samezuka yelled from afar, screaming for their teammate. "Mako-chan!" Nagisa shrieked as he leaned dangerously far from the railing. Haru prayed in her heart for Makoto, her heart pounding against her chest as she whispered, "Win this, Makoto!" As she did so, the wind blew her hair and as she tried to bat it away from her face, she saw Rin staring at her from the other side of the stands, his eyes trained on her as he scowled before moving downwards. She tried to call out to him when the crowd went wild.

"Mako-chan didn't make it…" Nagisa muttered. Makoto looked worn out but happy anyways, giving them a thumbs up as he climbed out of the pool. "Oh, freestyle for guys is next!" Gou squeaked as Rin walked to the poolside, his gaze trained ahead of him as he took his place behind the starting block. "Go get them, Matsuoka-kun!" Sakura screamed from her side as the girls squealed along with her. "Looks like he's got quite the fan club," Nagisa smirked as Haru's heart thundered when he looked up for her a fraction of a second, his eyes saying, "Watch me."

She gulped as the gun went off and he shot into the water, moving through like a shark as he surpassed everyone. "Holy, he's fast!" Nagisa yelled as they shouted for him, even though he wasn't on their team. "Swim swim swim, Matsuoka!" Samezuka shouted but whilst everyone was cheering for him, Haru remained silent, watching as he swam. What was this? Why was her heart pounding so fast? It was as though she was swimming next to him, taking in the same breaths and sights as him, as though they were together. "Go, Rin," she whispered under the breath as he hit the wall, his head emerging to the crowd going wild.

"Oni-chan made it!" Gou squeaked as she held onto Amakata-sensei and danced for joy. Haru's racing heart returned to normal but she felt a little sad to have seen it ended. It had been really beautiful after all. "Hey, Nanase-san! Your event is in five minutes!" Amakata sensei said as she pushed Haru to the stairs. "We'll be cheering for you, Haru-chan!" Nagisa shouted as she made her way down, snatching her stuff on the way when she passed Makoto. For a moment, both of the stared at each other, drinking in each others presence to calm each other. "Haru-chan, good luck," Makoto smiled as she nodded.

She walked into tgirl'srls locker room and removed her shirt to stuff it into the locker. She let the noise sail over her head, giving her a bit of space to think things through. What was that feeling just now? Why did she have a tinge of regret and jealousy in her heart? Why did she want to swim with Rin so much when she had hurt him? Why? Why? "Hey, Nanase! Don't get caught up in your dreamworld. I'll kick your ass today," Sakura sneered as Haru scowled, "Shut it."

Slamming her locker shut, she snatched her cap and goggles and walked out into the arena, the sun beating against her back as she stood behind the starting block. Her heart raced as she saw the pool sparkling in front of her, beckoning her to enter as she stepped onto the starting block. Sakura was next to her and she scowled as she bent over, getting ready to dive in. Haru didn't care, bending her knees as the announcer said, "Take your marks."

With that, the gun went off and they shot into the water. Haru could have let out an ahh of satisfaction as she slid into the water, the cold seeping into her and giving her a burst of energy to swim with all her might, her legs kicking and her arms paddling in and out of the water. As she took breaths, she could hear her friends screaming her name, cheering her on to win. She focused on the turn, feeling Sakura make the turn as well as she made her way back. As she passed the 25m mark, she felt something beside her, a certain someone standing there as though saying, "Go."

She shuddered as she felt Rin's presence. Even though he was at the side of the pool, she felt as though he was there with her right now, cheering her on as she swam. She could feel Sakura's rage roll off her as she swam but she took it as the chance to burst forward and slam a hand onto the wall. As her head popped from the water, she gasped as she saw the number 1 next to her name. "She did it!" Nagisa screamed from the stands as he waved, jumping up and down as Haru saw that she had made it into prefecturals. Despite her victory, she didn't feel as happy as she should as Rin walked back into the shade of the complex, leaving a sad and cold feeling in her gut.


	9. Conflict

**The holidays are coming and I so need a break from school! Can't wait! I don't own the characters.**

The events of the competition ended with Haru being the only one in the Iwatobi Swim team to advance to the regionals level. While everyone was a bit disappointed with the outcome, they were pleased that at least Haru made it into regionals for her level and the rest of them managed to beat their personal best. "Don't worry! We still have next year!" Nagisa grinned as they walked off to the train station. As they walked, Makoto realized how silent Haru was on the way back, her head hung low despite having done something great.

"Hey, Haru. Are you alright?" he asked as she stopped in her tracks, turning to stare at the stadium behind her. The group stopped in their tracks as she said, "Tomorrow is the relay." Those words stabbed pain into most of their hearts and Makoto and Nagisa felt the sting of not being able to join the relay. "Rin-chan might be in it," Nagisa said as Gou piped up," Oh yeah. I heard from Mikoshiba-taichou that he would be in it!" "I… I should be swimming with you guys! Because we couldn't get another male member, you guys couldn't take part in the relay! I'm sorry!" Haru snapped as she bowed low, making everyone squeak in surprise and horror.

"Hey, Haru! Lift up your head!" Makoto said as Haru continued, "This doesn't feel right! Rin being on a different team, us not being in a relay together even with Rei on the team, me being a girl… why does this seem so wrong?! Why? Why isn't Rin free?" She felt the tears come to her eyes and she furiously wiped them away, not wanting to look like a moron in front of the others. Luckily no one else was there to see her cry as Makoto bent down and hugged her tight, letting her straighten up a little.

"Don't worry Haru. It's not your fault," he whispered as she hiccupped a little. She cursed herself for being so emotional. Since when did she become like this? "If you were a guy, I wouldn't have been able to care for you the way I do now," Makoto murmured as she froze a bit. Did she hear that right? "Not like it matters," he said as he pulled away, a slight blush on his cheeks as he tried to smile, "Come on. We need to rest up for tomorrow." Despite his smile not reaching his face, she continued behind them, wondering what he had meant by that statement.

…

The swimming complex was packed with people, as usual, the next day, the sun hotter than ever. Haru didn't wear her jacket and felt a little embarrassed with the bright yellow and the words printed on her shirt but she didn't care. She was here to see Rin and cheer him on. Something in her felt something was really wrong with him. Why did he come to see her swim when he would normally don't do? "Hey, Haru-chan! Over here!" Nagisa called out as Haru walked to see the girls just starting to have their relay. She could make out Miyagi Girls Academy in the middle row, Sakura at the end since free was her specialty stroke.

The gun went off and the girls shot into the water, their teammates screaming from the stands along with some male admirers. Haru watched as they swam, jealousy bubbling in her heart as she thought of how she never managed to have a team of her own. Why did she have to be born as a girl? She thought of Makoto, Nagisa and Rei swimming with her, all of them showing the sight they always wanted to see to one another. On how Rin could be with them, smiling as they exchanged at the starting block.

"And Miyagi Girls Academy won again," Gou muttered as the crowd cheered. Haru watched as Sakura hugged her teammates, all of them laughing and holding onto each other as they walked away to make way for the guys. As they did so, Sakura turned to give a wave to Rin, who didn't seem to see it as he walked with his team, his face staring at the ground. "Come on, Rin. What happened to you?" Haru whispered in her heart as she shook her head. No, now is not the time to go crazy like this.

"Looks like Oni-chan is doing free in this one," Gou said as she watched the boys standing around with much enthusiasm, more likely for their muscles. "Hey, Gou-chan. Can you not look at guys for their muscles all the time?" Nagisa moaned as Gou whipped around at him, "Muscles are life. And my name is Kou!" As she tried to get Nagisa to say Kou, Haru focused on the teams in front of her, all of them focused on winning the race. At that moment, Rin looked up and their gazes connected for a brief moment. "Haru," his lips formed as she whispered, "Rin."

The gun went off and the swimmers shot into the water. As the crowd went crazy, Rin's attention snapped back to the task in front of him and he turned away from Haru. As she tried not to think about it, she watched as Gou cheered for Samezuka and Haru tried to cheer for them despite only having one person she wanted to cheer for. All the while, Makoto watched from the distance, gazing at her scrunched up face from being worried about Rin. Why did he have this feeling in his heart he couldn't quite place?

"Oni-chan is next!" Gou shrieked as she shouted for them to swim. Samezuka was on fire now, screaming for their team. Haru could pick out a particularly squeaky voice that belonged to the grey-haired boy from the time they went for practice with Samezuka about a month back. "Matsuoka-senpai!" he yelled as the swimmers started to swim back. She turned to focus on Rin, who looked onward as his partner moved forward. But something was off. He didn't have the usual grin on his face and his eyes were down, as though he was somewhere else.

Despite that, he snapped his goggle strap at the back of his head and once his partner slammed his hands onto the wall, heleapedt in and began to swim at such speed everyone gaped at him. "Go, Oni-chan!" Gou shouted as Iwatobi yelled, "Go, Rin!" As everyone cheered for him, Haru gripped her shirt, trying to slow down her racing heart. Why… why couldn't she be with him? What was this uneasy feeling in her heart? "Swim, Rin!" she shrieked, surprising herself at how loud she could scream.

That seemed to send energy to Rin as he swam faster, slamming his hand onto the wall as the crowd went wild. His fangirls from Miyagi screamed as he climbed out of the pool to be hugged by his teammates, some of them nearly crying at their success. Despite being first place, Rin didn't look happy at all and after that peeled away from his team to slink into the shadows. Without thinking, Haru was already moving, searching for Rin amongst the throng of people in the stadium.

"What do you want, Haru?" a voice rumbled as she spotted Rin sitting in the corner, a towel draped over his head. His body was still wet but he had thrown over his team jacket over his torso anyway. The muscles that rippled on his stomach distracted Haru for a bit as she bit out the words, "Why weren't you free when you swam just now?" "You still spouting out that nonsense?" he growled as he stood up and slammed a hand onto the wall, pinning her against it.

Haru gulped as she stared into his eyes, red threatening to burn her blue ones as his hot breath reached her skin. His face was close, so close… didn't he realize they were in a really awkward position right now? "Matsuoka-senpai! We're leaving soon!" Nitori shouted from the distance. That made Rin unpeel himself from the wall and jammed his hands into his pockets, slinging his bag over his shoulder as he turned away but not before saying, "Good job yesterday, Haru. I'll see you in regionals." Before Haru could say anything, Rin was gone.

…

Rin had never felt so nervous for a competition in his entire life. He felt his heart crushing underneath all the stares, thinking about what might happen during the relay. He wasn't used to these members yet but he needed to be in it. He needed the feeling to come back to him, the sight he had seen before with… he batted her name from his mind as he turned to look at the stands without thinking to be met with calm blue eyes. He tried hard not to blush as they made eye contact, her face as impassive and calm as always that he always wondered how she could be like that. He growled to himself as he heard the whistle, making him focus on the task ahead of him.

As his teammates swam, he stared at them, watching them move in and out of the water. Their strokes were fast but lacked the uniqueness and beauty Iwatobi had… he recalled how Makoto swam, his strokes rough but fast and sure, how Nagisa would stretch his arms out as though they were longer and Haru… her form was perfect. He shook all thoughts of her out of his mind as he saw his teammate swimming towards him. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1.

He leapt in, letting the water embrace him as he swam. He could hear people screaming his name but for some reason, that didn't bring the excitement and adrenaline it would always bring. Instead, he felt cold and empty, all alone in the water. He felt like he was missing something, or rather someone. "Haru," he whispered in his mind when he heard the impossible. "Swim, Rin!" as her voice cut through the water, Rin gave a cry as he felt his body flood with energy to win his team first place and a spot for regionals.

Despite that, he found himself peeling away from his team and sitting in a corner of the stadium, watching as people walked by. Wondering how he got there in the first place, he didn't have to look up to see who was standing and looking at him like he was an idiot. "Why weren't you free, Rin?" those words pierced his heart as he got up and slammed her against the wall, his face close to hers. How could Haru still be thinking something as stupid as that? Not everyone had this crazy connection with the water as she does. More importantly… how did he managed to get into such an awkward position with Haru?! It was almost as though they were about to…

Luckily, the sound of Nitori's voice woke him from his stupor and he removed himself from the wall to swing his bag over his shoulder and stuff his hands into his pockets. As he wondered why he even congratulated Haru on her win, he was met by Nitori, who continued his long congratulation talk to him as he regrouped with the others. "Wow, Matsuoka. Were you hitting on a girl just now?" one of his teammates grinned as he scowled, "No. She's just a friend." "Oho. No need to be shy now! We're all men here!" "Shut it!" As they chatted on the way to the bus, Rin turned to look back at the stadium, wishing he could do it all over again with different teammates.


	10. Summer festival

**Wohoo! We've hit 10 chapters! Didn't expect it to go so fast! Almost done with the first season arc ( I think...) and then we'll get on to the next bit. I don't own the characters.**

For the first time in her life, Haru felt as though things were going too fast. Normally she would pray that time would hurry up and let her hit the age of 21, where she would finally be considered a normal human and be allowed to live in peace without high expectations from others. But this round, she wished that she could just remained in this time of space for a little while longer. "Now, although Haruka-senpai is the only one who managed to enter regionals for her level, you guys still have to work hard. You may have improved your times, but now that you don't have the pressure of the competition ahead, use this time to train and beat your records next year!" Gou shouted as everyone pumped their fists into the air as they heard a splash.

"Ah. Haruka-senpai jumped in before I finished my inspiration speech," Gou sighed as Haru started to do her front crawl, her body sliding in and out of the water with ease. The others just continued with their stretching before jumping into the water as well, the pool soon filled with the sound of people swimming and diving. Gou kept an eye on them, watching and taking note of anything that may be different or wrong with their movements. She knew that even though she sucked at swimming big time, she could at least be a good manager and make sure they were in tip-top shape.

"Yo, Amakata-sensei! Gou-chan!" a voice shouted as Goro entered the tiny gate at the side, a bunch of equipment in his hands that he deposited onto the bench at the side. "Ah, Coach Goro. Whats with all of this?" Amakata sensei smiled as he peered at her, making her gulp. The guy had developed a habit of thinking that he had seen her somewhere and even though Gou thought she may know the answer to that mystery, the sensei would kill her if she dared to tell such a ridiculous proposition to him. "Anyway, these are for those guys, and girl," Goro said as he began to set up what looked like cameras. Gou and Amakata-sensei helped him to roll the wire over the water and soon the swimmers stopped to get a good look at what was going on.

"Eh, what you up to Goro-chan?" Nagisa asked as Goro snapped at him to not add –chan to the back of his name like he did to everyone, regardless of their gender. "This should help you guys see whats wrong with your movements and adjust to them. Although Haru may be the only one who made it to regionals, you guys can still improve. No telling if you might have to go for a competition next," Goro grinned, the reality of the three of them not making it into regionals making them more pumped than ever to prove their worth. They spent the next hour swimming and checking their movements on the screen, Goro pointing out anything they needed to change. Haru seemed to be the only one who needed the least adjustments but she still asked for advice anyway. Something in her stirred the need for her to do well in this meet

"Oh man! That was tiring!" Nagisa groaned as he stretched his arms as they walked to the train station. The sun was already setting as he and Rei walked to the train station. The others trailed behind them, Haru and Makoto exchanging thoughts to each other. Somehow over the years, they managed to develop a technique that enabled them to know what the other was thinking by their body movement and facial expressions. Now, Haru had a look on her face that prompted Makoto to stay silent and give her some space to drift off when Nagisa piped up, "Hey, I just remembered that the festival is tomorrow. Anyone up for it?"

"That would be great! You guys deserve to have a break after all the training you did, especially Haruka-senpai!" Gou said as she turned to see Haru looking pretty sullen. "Say Haruka-senpai. Have you got a yukata?" she asked. "Too troublesome to wear," she scowled as Gou grinned. "I bet Oni-chan would love to see you in one," she grinned as Haru went scarlet, trying to hide the blush as Makoto tried to stop the jealousy bubbling in his chest. "Why don't we go shopping now? I know I great place selling yukata!" Gou said and without giving Haru time to say anything, seized her by the arm and dragged her off. As Haru protested, the other three saluted her as she was dragged away by Gou, who began to go on about how cute she would look in a yukata.

"Gou is really insistent, isn't she?" Nagisa said as they waited for the train to arrive. Makoto stared at the ground, his mind wandering off as he thought about Haru. He had seen her in a yukata when they were children and she had indeed look really cute… "Makoto-senpai, aren't you going to go back? You don't normally take the train, do you?" Rei asked as Makoto gave him a weak smile. "Ah, sorry Rei. I thought I would accompany you guys on the way here. Goodnight," he said as he turned to walk away, his eyes trained to the sea in the distance. "Is Makoto-senpai alright?" Rei asked. "I don't know… he's been like this ever since Rin came back…" Nagisa said as Rei thought, "Could it be that he is in love with Haruka-senpai?"

…

Haru tugged uncomfortably at her yukata, the cloth fitting her body perfectly. She thought she looked a bit fat in it and she wanted to hide the bulge in front of the yukata, wishing she had a flatter chest. Her face was slightly red but she put on her calm face as usual and walked out. She hadn't bother to do her hair since she always thought it was a nuisance since it would get messy anyway but the regret sank in a little when she saw Makoto waiting at her door as usual. "Good evening, Haru-chan," he smiled. He was dressed in his normal clothes and he gazed at her in the yukata, trying to find the right words to say. "You look really nice," he said, thinking of how stupid he sounded when Haru mumbled, "Thanks."

They walked along the beach to where the festival was held. Kids and adults alike were walking about in yukata or normal clothing, laughing as they enjoyed themselves. Haru watched as couples walked hand in hand and she tried not to think about the idea of being a couple with Makoto. Makoto was nervous about having to walk around with Haru with the number of people whispering how cute she looked. He felt like he had to shield her from the world and protect her from others. Why was he thinking like that? She didn't belong to him…

"Haru-chan! Mako-chan! Over here!" Nagisa shouted as he and Rei came over in yukata. "Wow, you two look great!" Makoto smiled as Gou and he friend came over as well. "Wah, you look so cute, Haruka-senpai!" Gou squealed before frowning, "Why didn't you do your hair?" "Too troublesome," Haru muttered as Makoto said, "Lets go have some fried squid shall we?" The sound of seafood turned Haru's attention back to Makoto and she followed him to the footstalls, the others behind them as they pointed out the things on sale. Nagisa was going all out with buying a lot of food while Rei tried to control him while Gou and her friend kept squealing at how some of the jewelry was. Thinking of how their group was drawing a lot of attention, Haru sighed as Makoto handed her some fried squid. "Here," he smiled as she fished in her pocket for coins. "No need. Its on me," he said as Haru nodded, "Thanks."

She munched on the squid, savoring the taste it had when a voice caught her attention. As she turned to see, she felt disappointment in her as she thought she had heard Rin talking. "Yo!" Nagisa called, heaps of food in his arms as he waved at them. "Nagisa, you're going to gain weight like that," Makoto groaned as the small boy winked, "I have a high metabolism." "Where's Rei?" Haru asked as Nagisa's face slipped a little into a bit of uneasiness. "Oh, he went to the toilet," Nagisa said as he grabbed Haru by the arm. "Come on, let's go eat over there!" he chirped and Haru tried not to trip as she was dragged behind the small boy.

"He's taking an awfully long time," Haru muttered as she gazed around, occasionally picking something from the mountain of food Nagisa had bought for them. As Haru licked the candy apple in her hands, Makoto set some drinks in front of them as he looked around at the stalls. "Hey, Haru. You want to go get some goldfish?" he asked. "Too troublesome," Haru muttered as Makoto smiled his usual smile. Haru remembered how he had some pet goldfish before and when they had died, Makoto had cried so much over them.

"Yo, Rei-chan!" Nagisa called as the bespectacled boy came over, looking out of breath. "Where have you been?" Haru asked with her eyes narrowed as the boy smiled, "Stomachache." Even a stomachache wouldn't make someone go to the toilet for that long… "If you guys want, we can go play at the stalls," Makoto said as Haru stood up. "I'm going home. Feeling tired," she said as Makoto stood with her. "Then I'll come with you." "You don't have to." "You're a girl and I can't let you walk home alone on a night like this." Makoto's face turned a bit red as he said those words as he grabbed her by the hand and pulled her away, leaving the others staring at them.

"Makoto, you don't have to come with me. I can take care of myself," Haru said as Makoto replied, "I'm tired too. We're going back the same way anyway." That made Haru silent and she let Makoto pull her to his side, letting them walk together. As they walked, she thought of how Makoto was like now, taller and stronger than she was. She treasured him as a friend but now the way they were walking… when they reached the intersection leading to their houses, Haru waved goodbye as she walked to her house, closing the door and pulling off her shoes. As she walked through the living room, she paused in front of the mirror, looking at her reflection as she thought, "What would Rin have thought of me if he saw me wearing this?"

 **Hehe I like it when Makoto gets jealous...**


	11. Next step

**On three week vacation now so I have more time to update this story. Also, I have a small surprise for you guys when it comes to the Eternal Summer arc so stay tuned! Just finished watching Prince of Stride and it was beautiful. Shit, why can't it be a legit sport? It looks so cool! I don't own the characters.**

"I cant believ we're finally here!" Gou smiled as they stared at the city as it came into view. The small bus they were on rumbled on the highway to give way to the city rising ahead. Haru couldn't care less, earphones in her ears as she stared outside, thinking of how she could finally swim in competition again. However, somewhere in her heart she pained for the thought of the others not being able to compete with her this year, leaving her to feel a little alone in the pool. Although she had never swam with them in her event before, she wished that she could…

"You guys can eat whatever you want, sensei's treat!" Gou grinned after they had deposited their bags in the tiny hotel they were staying at. They were walking through a street filled with restaurants and Haru had started to turn her head to look at a fish tank containing a species of mackerel when Nagisa shouted, "Hey guys! What about this place?" without giving them much of a choice, he grabbed Rei by the arm and dragged him into the tiny space while Makoto and Haru followed behind.

"Hm, this looks good. But what to pick?" Makoto groaned as Haru piped up, "Mackerel set, please." The others didn't even bother to groan since it was the most obvious choice and soon the guys were giving in their orders while Gou went with Amakata-sensei somewhere else. "Haru, you should at least try to eat something to give you energy tomorrow," Makoto sighed as Haru dug into her meal with enthusiasm. Watching her eyes shine thinking about the next day made Makoto smile a little as they had their dinner, chatting about what would happen the next day. They wouldn't get the schedule until the competition itself but from experience, Haru gathered her event would be sometime before or after Rin's.

"Hey, Haru. You can use the shower first," Makoto said as they entered their room.s since they were an even number and there were only three guys, Haru opted to sleep with Makoto, not like the others complained. Nagisa and Rei did give a few looks at Makoto as he darted into the room with the bags followed by an impassive Haru, who slammed the door behind them. "I'm going for a run," Haru muttered as she pulled on her Iwatobi jacket and tied her hair in a ponytail. "Be careful!" Makoto called out as she closed the door with a snap, her shoes squeaking against the old floorboards as she made her way to the lift.

As Haru ran, she thought of the event tomorrow. She had been to regionals when she was younger but she didn't really felt so much pressure until now. She knew they were way tougher than what the prefecturals had to offer and thinking about Miyagi Girls Academy, she felt the adrenaline rushing through her as she thought of how she managed to beat their best swimmer. That caused a smile to tug at the corners of her mouth as she ran before she noticed a familiar person weaving through the crowd. "Rei?" she thought but before she could call out to him, the boy had disappeared.

…

The stadium was packed with people and Haru felt a little nervousness tug at the strings of her heart as she walked through the double doors leading to the swimming pool. Guys with abs were stretching along one side of the wall while girls did the same, some of them laughing as they chatted and pointed at the guys. "Wow, it's so huge!" Nagisa said as they arrived at the pool, the water glistening under so many lights as people did their warmups inside. The atmosphere was filled with anticipation and tension and all-around teams were busy hoisting up banners and flags, ready to cheer on their team.

"Ah, there's Samezuka," Nagisa said as Makoto replied, "And without fail, there is Miyagi Girls." The girls had gotten their position opposite of Samezuka and some of the girls whispered among each other as they pointed at some of the lead swimmers, Mikosiba in the lead and seems to look for only one person when a smile broke on his face. "Yo, Gou-kun!" he yelled from across the stadium, waving as some heads turned to glare at Gou, who looked like she wanted to dive under a seat to hide from embarrassment. "Its Kou, not Gou," she hissed under her breath as the Samezuka team proceeded to prep themselves for their events.

"Let's see. Haruka-chan is first, then the boy's events would start so you can watch Matsuoka-kun swim," Amakata sensei smiled as Haru darted her head to the side. She saw the redhead moving across from her, his head hung low and the air around him depleted from life and energy. She had never seen him look so demoralized in her entire life. The announcements began to stream in and soon people were evacuated from the pool to make way for the first of the events. The stadium came to life with cheers and yells and people swam, teams screaming their name or chanting the school anthem.

"Wow, I feel like I want to swim now," Rei muttered as Nagisa grinned, "We still have next year, Rei-chan!" As both of them bickered about it, Haru stared at the water, watching at how people swam, how the freestyle swimmers did their stroke. As the air around them filled with shining droplets of water, Haru closed her eyes and inhaled the scent of chlorine and water, the smell bringing a bit of calm to her.

"Your turn, Haru-chan!" Nagisa chirped as the event finished with a round of applause and yells. Haru nodded as she got up and walked down the stairs to the locker room. As she fitted her goggles on her head, she felt a stare behind her as she scowled in the mirror. "What do you want, Emiya?" she growled as the girl glowered at her. "I'm going to kick your ass later," she said as she mumbled, "Whatever. "Don't you whatever me! Just because you won the race the other day, doesn't mean you'll win today!" Sakura snapped as Haru snapped the door of her locker shut before whirling to face her.

"Then prove it in the pool," she scowled as she moved past her, leaving the girl to grit her teeth as they walked into the arena. The familiar buzz of adrenaline filled her ears as the crowd chanted the names of the swimmers. Iwatobi waved t her from the stands, Makoto with an encouraging smile on his face as Haru took her place behind the starting block. The whistle went off and they climbed onto the starting block, waiting to jump into the water. "Take your marks," the announcer said as she curled her fingers on the metal piece, waiting for the whistle to be blown. 3. 2. 1.

The gun went off with a bang and they shot into the water. Haru felt the roar of the crowd even through the water, screaming for them to swim. Iwatobi joined the roar as well, screaming her name as she swam. As she did, Haru longed for someone to scream her name but she couldn't even feel his presence in the water. Rin… where are you? What happened to the joy and power that ran through you everything we swam? Why? Why did I have to bring you so much pain? I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…

Haru thought she could actually feel a tear rolling down her cheek when she felt the fear settling in. She felt so alone in the water, everything dark around her as she struggled to keep up. Shit, when did she slow down this much? She couldn't afford to lose when the others failed… for Makoto, Rei and Nagisa, for her team, she would win this. But now that seems to become even more impossible as she swam, Sakura swimming ahead of her. Shit… shit… shit!

Haru screamed as she broke the surface, panting as she saw her failure of not making it to nationals. She cursed as she slammed a fist into the wall, cursing herself for thinking so much during the swim. Why did he have to come in her mind at all times? "Damn you, Rin," she muttered as she climbed out and grabbed her towel, walking to where the others were. "Don't worry, Haruka-senpai! It's still an improvement!" Gou said as Makoto watched her sit down on the bench, her head hung low.

"Haru, are you alright?" he asked and the girl silently nodded when they heard the crowd begin to roar once more. Haru let the noise sail over her head, names not meaning anything to her as she sat down, thinking of how Rin had come into her mind. Why did this feel so wrong? She felt like she had to swim with Rin no matter what. More importantly, he had to forget that stupid incident back when they were in middle school. That was just one competition… why… why did he quit swimming because of that?

"Ah, its Oni-chan's turn!' Gou squeaked as she leaned against the railing, waving her hand as she shouted his name. Haru slowly got up and watched the men walking to the starting blocks, Rin in the middle of the line as he stared ahead. His gaze was on somewhere else and he looked ready to just break. Haru didn't know, couldn't believe he was so… fragile. The whistle went off and they climbed onto the starting blocks. Rin gripped his tightly, not doing his signature snapping gesture when the gun went off.

He dove into the water a little too late, earning gasps from his team as they yelled for him to swim. Iwatobi was screaming as well along with the Miyagi team, all of them screaming for him to swim. No matter how much they screamed, that only seemed to slow him down as he lagged further behind the group. "What is that guy going?" Mikoshiba muttered from across as Haru stared, her throat tightening as she tried to scream his name. "Rin… did I hurt you so bad…" she whispered as he finally reached the end, panting as he gripped his swim cap and goggles in his hand. Rin had lost.


	12. End of the line?

**One thing that I think I should mention since in this story Haru is a girl I thought I would make her more emotional than her other self so if she seems whiny and emotional in this story, don't be alarmed. It won't get too sappy, I promise! I don't own the characters.**

Haru watched as Rin disappeared through the doors leading to the changing area. Not thinking about the consequences, she was on her feet and before her towel reached the ground, she was already running after him, not caring about how the others yelled for her to stay put and shoving tired swimmers aside as she searched for him. Her throat couldn't squeeze out his name for some reason so she took to shoving past people, her eyes scanning the area. She thanked Kami for his red hair that made him way easier to spot when she saw him darting past.

"Rin!' she shouted, some heads turning to stare as she rushed to him. "What do you want?' he growled as she grabbed his jacket and hauled him to a corner of the room where no one could hear them. "Oi, let go!" he snapped as he reached to grab her hand before thinking twice. He would be charged with assault if he lay a finger on her so he let his hand drop as she whispered, "I'm sorry." The words made the blood drain from his face before his anger took over.

"Whats with that?" he demanded as Haru began to shake, her hand still clutching onto his jacket as she repeated the same words. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for making you lose that day. I'm sorry that you quit swimming because you lost to me. I… I… I'm not fit to be your rival when I draw you further from the sport than closer. I'm sorry for stealing your dreams… sorry…" she whispered, the thoughts she had kept in her mind rushing out of the floodgates as she panted, her face red as she tried to steady herself. "Go on. Tell me you hate me. Tell me I'm the reason you lost today."

"You are," he whispered as she looked at him, feeling her heart pain as he continued, "You always hinder me from what I want to do. Every time I go to the pool, I see you next to me, ready to plunge in and get the win. I don't know why I always feel off whenever you are not there, why I feel lost when you are not by my side when I was in Australia. When I lost to you, I thought it was all over. If I couldn't beat you, I couldn't be the swimmer I wanted to be." "Rin," she whispered as he snapped, "Don't call me that! Don't you dare call me as though you really know about me!"

He smacked her hand to the side as he growled, "Stay out of my life, Nanase. Just stay away!" He stomped off, leaving some people to stare at him before they turned their gazes to Haru. She had her face facing the wall so it helped the fact that tears had started to form in her eyes. She cursed herself for being so emotional about it but she couldn't help herself. Rin told her to stay away from him… he even told her to not address him by his first name… Haru was about to turn when she felt a warm hand on her shoulder before she heard him. "Haru," Makoto whispered as she whispered, "Makoto." She buried her face into his shoulder, the tears flowing freely as she sobbed, "What have I done?"

…

"So that's what happened?" Makoto said as they congregated in their room. Rei and Nagisa were perched on each of their beds while Haru and Makoto occupied the small chairs they had in the room. "But that's a bit ridiculous. Haruka-senpai is a girl so he shouldn't compare himself with her like that," Rei said. "That's the problem. Haru's a girl and she still swims faster than Rin, even at par with him so if he couldn't even beat a girl, of course, he would feel depressed about it," Nagisa said. "Never thought I would hear that word coming from you," Makoto groaned as Nagisa flopped onto the bed. "What are we going to do now?" Nagisa sighed as he lay on the bed, the air condition making the room a bit drier than Haru would have liked.

"Rin-chan is taking part in the relay tomorrow right?" Nagisa asked. "I think so," Haru muttered, thinking about how he might not even be able to take part in it with his mind so unfocused. "The relay eh… we never had a chance to do it properly…" Nagisa muttered as the three boys fell silent. All of them stared at each other, waiting for the other to say something as Haru said, "I'm going to bed." That signaled the other two to scram and they left Haru and Makoto to go get some rest. As Haru shifted in her sheets, she slipped off into a dream where she was a guy and swam in a relay with the others, all of them seeing a sight they had never seen before.

…

Rin strode past the crowd, his hands fisted in the pockets of his jacket as he walked to where his team was. He felt like he wanted to throw up for having spoken to Haru like that. He felt bad for lashing out at her after he lost since it wasn't her fault, to begin with. Then again, it was him thinking about her that he had lost focus on the goal… "Matsuoka-senpai!" Nitori shouted as he came barreling into him. "Oi, what is it?" he growled as the younger boy jumped back, a nervous look on his face as he said, "You just ran off after your event so of course everyone's worried about it." "Don't worry. Just leave me alone," Rin growled as he shoved past him and planted himself on the backmost row of the stands.

Throughout the day, Rin couldn't get his mind over what had happened. He had lost so many opportunities to get scouted over the years and after spending so much time and effort to get to Australia and not being able to do well and quitting, he had to make up for all the lost time in Japan. At the rate he was going, he wasn't going anywhere. During dinner, he could feel some eyes trained on him with concern, especially Nitori who tried to get him to eat something since he barely touched his food. Rin appreciated the guy's help but he was on the verge of strangling him since he was worse than his mother at that point.

"Matsuoka. Come here for a second," Mikoshiba said after the meeting ended. As the boys disbanded to return to their rooms, the captain eyed the redhead, who didn't want to look at him in the eye. "What is it, captain?" he asked. "You know whats happening. Why did you lose so badly in the race just now? It wasn't like you to lose focus like that," Mikoshiba said as Rin growled, "Why do you care? It's my event." "I care because you're part of my team. Why aren't you focused on getting your team to the national stage? You're more focused on your girlfriend and the others on the Iwatobi team than us." "That is my own problem." "Well, it's my problem as your captain as well."

Rin clenched his fists as he stared at his senior, wanting to snap at him about how they shaped him into the person he was today. If he hadn't met them, he may not have even gone to Australia and he might not be the swimmer he was today. They also made him lose sight of his goal as well. "I can't have someone on the relay if they cannot trust and depend on their own team," Mikoshiba's voice cut through his mind as his heart slowed. "What?" he whispered as Mikoshiba said, "I'm taking you off the relay team. Take the time to reflect on what it means to be Team Samezuka."

"What the hell is this?! I want to be part of the relay!" Rin snapped as Mikoshiba growled, "Why? Why is it so important to be part of a team you don't even think of or trust?" Rin's own hard breath filled his ears as Mikoshiba sighed, placing a hand on his shoulder as he finished, "I didn't want to do this but I have no choice. My duty as captain is to make sure we reach finals and nationals. I won't let the others have their dreams crushed because one guy cannot control his own emotions."

With that he walked away, leaving Rin to stand in the hallway, hands curled into fists as he slammed one into the wall, startling a hotel worker walking past. "Shit!" he growled as he leaned against the wall, his face starting to get wet as he let out his anger and frustration, trying not to pummel the wall too much as he cursed. From afar, Nitori stood in the shadows, his face set as he whipped out his handphone and dialed a number. A groggy voice answered on the other end as Nitori asked, "May I ask you of a favour, Tachibana-san?"

…

Makoto stood in the cold, the wind turbines moving behind him in the wind as he tugged the sleeves of his jacket. He checked his watch, the hand slowly moving as a boy shouted, "Sorry I'm late!" Nitori jogged up, panting before he straightened up. "Hi, Nitori-kun. Whats up?" Makoto asked as he yawned. It was past midnight and he had just gotten to bed when Nitori rang him up. He was thankful that Haru had remained fast asleep and he wondered what could have been so important as he said, "Matsuoka-senpai has been removed from the relay team."

"What?" Makoto blurted. He knew Rin had performed badly today but that wasn't enough reason to just pull him out of it! "The captain said he wasn't focusing on the team and that he wanted him to reflect on it," Nitori said as Makoto hung his head. Was it their fault that they were too great of a team that he couldn't let go of the past? Makoto was about to reply when Nitori bowed so low Makoto yelped in surprise. "Please, help Matsuoka-senpai get back on the relay team! I know how much it means to him but please, show him the sight he has lost!"

Those words rang through Makoto's mind as he remembered Rin saying that when they were kids. "I'll show you a sight you had never seen before," he had grinned as his hair was blown in the wind, Haru's eyes shining with wonder as she listened. Makoto's hand clenched into a fist as he whispered, "I'm sorry but we don't even have a relay team or we would have let him join…" "I'm not saying he has to be on a relay team! Just help him come back to his senses. I don't know what to do but it pains me to see him so sad and lost!' Nitori let out a sniffle as Makoto placed a hand on his shoulder, forcing him to look up. "I'll try to help as much as I can," Makoto said, thinking of how he should explain this to the rest of the Iwatobi team.


	13. The sight to be seen

**This is where the fun begins. Hehe. I don't own the characters.**

Haru had drifted off into a restless sleep where she dreamed of Rin being far ahead of her, not listening to her pleas as he dropped his goggles and cap onto the ground. "Its all your fault," he whispered as Haru screamed for him to come back, to not blame her for it. She had her own fair share of punishment as well by stopping swimming. The guilt had been so strong and even though she had made new friends in the swim club… Haru slowly opened her eyes, a slight throb in her temples as she turned to Makoto's bed, which was empty. "Makoto?" she whispered as she swung her legs over the bed, yawning as she heard voices from the room next door.

"What are we going to do, Mako-chan? If Rin quits swimming for real this time… who knows what might happen! Swimming is his life!" "We know that Nagisa, but I don't see how we can help him get onto the relay team when we don't even have one ourselves." "We can try to persuade his teammate to let us stand in for them in the competition later." "They wouldn't give up their chance of going to nationals just because someone is about to give up their dream." Those words made Haru swing open the door to reveal three bewildered boys who looked at each other sheepishly.

"Morning, Haru-chan," Makoto smiled as she scowled, "Lay off the –chan." She plopped onto the chair next to Makoto and watched as they wondered what to do about it. She had a crazy idea herself but she knew how much trouble they would get if they did it. But this was the only way… she sighed as she proposed the idea to them and she was met with wide eyes and gaping mouths. "Are you serious?" Makoto blurted as Nagisa frowned, "Even that sounds crazy coming from you, Haru-chan." "Sure I can get the materials but how are we going to give it to them in the first place…" "I think I have an idea," Makoto said as he held up his phone, the name Nitori shining on it as he placed it to his ear. As he ran over the details and squeaks issued from the other side, Haru clasped her hands together, praying that it would be all right.

…

Nitori gulped as he walked with the water bottles in his hands, wondering if he would get kicked off the team, which he would after this whole stunt is over and if it actually works, his teammates would never forgive him at this rate. He took a deep breath as he walked to where his seniors were and handed them their drinks, letting them guzzle down some of the water as he said, "Actually, senpai. I think we should go wait in the waiting area soon." "Don't worry, Nitori! We'll handle this well! We're Team Samezuka after all," one of them grinned just as his friend yawned. "Hey did you even sleep last night, Kazuto?" his teammate grinned before he stifled a yawn. Nitori had to make this quick.

He led his team of fellow swimmers down the hall, all of them starting to yawn pretty badly as one of them scowled, "Did you put something in our drinks, Nitori?" "I would never do that!" he squeaked as another guy grinned, "Nitori wouldn't hurt a fly. There's no way he would do something like…" Before he could finish his sentence, the swimmer yawned and slumped onto the bench, snoring soundly as his teammates tried to figure out what was happening to see Nitori bowing low. "Why you little…" one of them growled as he slumped onto the floor, drool pooling onto the floor as Nitori whipped around the corner to see the Iwatobi guys standing at ready.

They hauled the sleeping swimmers to the janitors closet and propped two each into each one before locking them inside. "They're going to kill me after this!" Nitori howled as Makoto sighed, "We're in deep trouble as well so we're in the same boat." "But that was so cool! It's like being in an action movie!" Nagisa grinned as Rei pushed his glasses up his nose. "With the right calculations, I managed to concoct a draft that wouldn't take immediate effect and allow us time to finish everything without them noticing what hit them!" "Where's Haruka-san?' Nitori asked as Makoto looked at the clock on the wall. "Doing what she thinks is right," he said.

…

Haru ran across the stadium, her eyes scanning the room as she shouted, "Rin!" She didn't care about how people stared at her as she shoved past them, not bothering to apologize as she bumped into some people. She shouted for him, searching for the redhead as she whipped out her phone and dialed a number. "Haru?" Makoto answered as Haru snapped, "Pass it to Nitori." There was a bit of scuffling and Nitori took the phone as Haru asked, "Where do you think Rin might be?" "I don't know. I don't think I even saw him enter the stadium…" As Haru's heart beat hard, she looked at the time, thinking about how little time she had left. Then a thought came to her head as she raced out of the double doors leading to the outside world, the cool wind hitting her face as she rounded the corner to see Rin standing underneath a cherry blossom tree.

He looked at peace for a moment but after a while, she could see the pain in his eyes, the aura of having been defeated in the battle. "Rin, there's no time. you can still go for the relay," Haru panted as he scowled, "Haven't you heard? I'm no longer on the team." "But you can! We knocked out the rest of the team and replaced it with our guys!' At her words, Rin spun around, staring at her as he asked, "What the hell did you guys do?!"

"It doesn't matter! We're all worried about you! You've given up on your dream just because of me! Why do you care so much about what I do until it influences your life? You're your own person, Rin! That competition back then didn't matter! Forget about us and be with your team!" "But I can't! Because of you guys, I found the will to swim in Australia even though it was so hard… but to see you swimming so well without any effort, it makes me wonder if I should even be bringing so much stress and pain on myself for something I can't even do. I don't know… I don't know what to do with myself!" Rin shouted as the cherry blossoms fell around them a little, the wind blowing Haru's hair in her eyes as she watched her friend start to cry.

"I have enough of trying to be something I can't be. I'm not you Haru. I have to work so hard until I want to break… without the relay, I'm nothing…" "But you're something! You can be something! Just come with me!" Haru said as she extended her hand. Rin's eyes widened as he looked at Haru, her blue eyes filled with calm and reassurance as she whispered, "And we'll show you the sight you always wanted to see." At her words, Rin felt the resolve seep back into him as he wiped his eyes, walking to her and burying his face in her shoulder. "Please, show it to me."

With that, Haru clasped her hand in his and pulled him behind her, her feet moving as quickly as they could as they ran back into the building. Haru felt like she was on fire, everything singing to her about how this felt right. How it felt right for Rin to be able to swim with the Iwatobi team. How he was by her side… "How did you manage to convince the others to let me join?' He asked. "We didn't. We knocked them out," she said bluntly as he sighed, "You're going to be in deep shit for this." As he said it, there was a bubbling laughter from within her as she giggled and Rin thought he had never heard something so beautiful before.

She stopped at the entrance to the waiting room and the other Iwatobi guys dashed to them, Nagisa holding onto Rin as he promised that he would be all right. Rei and Makoto were reassuring each other that they would be fine with the exchanges while Rin looked at them. "Why? Why are you guys willing to go so far for me?" "That's because you're our friend and teammate," Makoto said as the others nodded. Before he could start crying again, Haru pushed him into the room, a small smile on her face as she whispered, "For the team."

Rin stared as she walked off, her body getting molded into the shadows as she disappeared from view. Rin turned to his team, all of them with smiles on their faces as he removed his outer clothing to reveal his standard red and black swimwear. He was glad he stuffed his goggles and swim cap into his pocket out of habit as Makoto placed a hand on his shoulder. "Let's show them a sight they never saw before," he smiled as Rin tried not to tear up before grinning, "Let's do this!"


	14. The ultimate team

**Hope you guys like this chapter! I had a lot of fun writing this, although this would unlikely happen in real life but if it did, hehe. Ah, the springtime of youth is awesome... I don't own the characters.**

"Where did you go, Haruka-senpai?" Gou demanded as Haru came back, panting and sweating as she peeled off her jacket to reveal the bright yellow shirt underneath. "Toilet," she muttered as she sat down as Amakata-sensei asked Goro where did the boys go. Haru didn't think she needed to ask since, at that very instant, the guys walked out onto the pool area with Rin behind them, earning gasps and gapes from Iwatobi and Samezuka alike. "Wait a sec! What the hell happened to our guys?!" one guy shouted as his teammates looked around, Iwatobi standing at the lane where Samezuka was supposed to be at.

"Nitori," Mikoshiba growled as the boy yelped and bowed really low. "I'm really sorry Captain but I had no choice ! I don't want Matsuoka-senpai to quit swimming because he wasn't able to take part in the relay. He has so much talent but he focuses so much on beating Haruka-san… I find it really admirable! Also, he's always talking about having his dream team, which is what is happening down there right now! So if you want to blame someone, blame me! You can even kick me off the team! But I beg you, don't take it out on Matsuoka-senpai! Please!" Nitori cried out as he bowed low. The rest of his teammates were staring at them, other teams doing the same even as the swimmers got ready to swim below them.

"Nitori…" Mikoshiba whispered as he placed a hand on his shoulder and Nitori thought it would be the end of his career as a swimmer when he felt a tear stray onto his shoulder. "That was so touching! Why didn't you tell me about this earlier?!" Mikoshiba shouted as he hugged the younger boy, much to the surprise of the others as he whipped around. "Come on, boys! Let's cheer for our team!" he shouted as everyone shouted, pumping their fists into the air as they shouted, "Samezuka! Samezuka! Go… Samezuka!" As they did so, their supervisor couldn't help but smile as the whistle went off, signaling the first swimmer to get into the pool.

"On your marks," the announcer said and the gun went off with a bang, Makoto flying into the water as he began to swim. As he did, Haru cheered with the rest of her team, which had finally managed to get out of their initial shock to cheer. "Swim swim swim, Makoto! Go go go Makoto!" "Faster!" Samezuka roared from their side and soon the stadium was filled with cheers from both sides. "This is just too beautiful…" Gou whispered as she wiped a stray tear from her eye before resuming screaming for her team. Haru smiled as she chanted, Samezuka nearly canceling out their cheers with their roar.

"And swim!" Samezuka yelled as Nagisa plunged into the water after Makoto slammed his hand on the wall. "Nagisa!" he shouted as the younger boy dove in at the exact time, his legs kicking to allow him to breach the surface. "Samezuka! Samezuka! Swim!" the boys roared as Nagisa swam, his hands stretching ahead of him. Rin couldn't help but be mesmerized at how he swam, remembering how he did it when they were kids. It was exactly the same, the way he created the illusion of stretching his arms further and longer, how he sped at the end. Makoto was the same as well, the same choppy rough strokes but the brutal speed that came with it was insane.

"Rin-chan-san," Rei said as Rin broke out of his stupor, scowling, "Oi, don't call me –chan." "I just want to say, thank you for giving me the opportunity to be on your team," he said as Nagisa made the turn back. Despite that, Rei turned to face Rin, a smile on his face as he said, "After hearing all those stories about your ultimate team, I always wanted to have one of my own. Now, I think I'll see something I've never seen before that will be beautiful beyond my imagination." He nodded his head as he pulled on his goggles and cap, smiling as he pretended to push his glasses up. "Now, its time to show them my butterfly!" he grinned as he bent his body and got ready to dive in.

"You just jinxed yourself, you moron," Rin thought but at the same time, when the boy leaped into the water, he was brought to the moment where he was swimming in the water, his arms rowing in and out with precision. For someone who had just started swimming a few months back and nearly drowned in embarrassment at his first attempt, he wasn't too bad. Although Rin made a note to tell him his stroke was far from beautiful. As the boy made his way to the other side, Rin stood behind the starting block, his goggles and cap on his head as he looked up at his team.

"Faster faster faster! Swim! Swim!" Samezuka roared and Rin felt his heart break as his team cheered for someone who wasn't even on their team. "Guys…" he whispered and he tried not to cry as Iwatobi yelled, "Swim swim swim, Rei!" "Come on, Rei-chan!" Nagisa shouted, startling Rin for a moment as he waited for his turn. "You can do it, Rei!" Makoto shouted. He could see the boy was already tiring but he powered on anyway, using every ounce of energy to bring himself back. To bring himself to where Rin stood and finished what he started. Rin smiled as he got onto the starting block, his hand reaching to snap the strap of his goggles onto the back of his head as he heard a cry, "Rin!"

He turned to see Haru standing with the rest of the Iwatobi team, her eyes shining in the bright light as she cheered for Rei, a small smile on her face as she urged him to dive in. "Haru…" Rin thought and he thought he felt a blush creeping up his cheeks when he shook off the thought and focused on Rei. Almost there… 5. 4. 3. 2. 1. Dive! He shot into the water, Rei shouting his name as he made his entry, kicking off hard as he breached the surface.

"Go, Matsuoka! Goooooo!" Samezuka shouted, Nitori being particularly loud as he shouted for Rin to swim. Rin felt so alive, having seen the sight he wanted to see with the other guys. As he swam, he could picture them ahead of him, reaching out to pull him out of the cold darkness of the water. "Rin," they smiled as a girl appeared in front of him, a smile on her face as she whispered, "Let's go, Rin!' "Yeah!" Rin grinned as he grabbed her hand and allow her to bring him to the surface, energy surging through him as the light broke through the darkness.

"He's fast!" one guy shouted as he made the turn, not even stopping for a breath as he powered on, his arms rowing and legs kicking so fast people couldn't help but stare. He was going to get disqualified but he didn't care. He had never felt so alive before. Never had he felt so at home with his team, belonging with them and working with them as though they were a part of each other. It had been so long… how did he forget the bond he shared with them? "Oni-chan!" Gou shouted as Haru yelled, "Be free, Rin!"

"Geez, that again?" Rin smiled to himself but it made him swim faster, the wall ahead appearing out of the darkness as he gave a final spurt. He slammed his hand into the wall and as soon as he breached the surface, the stadium went wild, his team screaming his name as they celebrated. Iwatobi was shouting as well, the girls crying into each other as Goro clapped on. Haru smiled from where she was, giving him a nod as he heard Makoto, "Good job, Rin!" He reached his hand out and allow Rin to be pulled up and get suffocated by Nagisa, who leaped onto him and clung on tightly, tears in his eyes.

"That was amazing, Rin-chan!" "Rin-san, that was beautiful!" Rei sobbed as he removed his glasses. Makoto looked about to cry as well but he didn't as he thought it would make things a little crazy if he did. "Guys, thank you. Thank you for showing me the sight I always wanted to see," Rin sniffled as Makoto smiled, " Don't cry, Rin…." "Rinrin!" Nagisa yelped as he hugged him tight, making the redhead smile as he ruffled his hair, "Oi, it's been so long!" As all of them held onto each other, Haru watched in the distance, her hand to her heart as she thought of how she finally made things right.

…

Iwatobi spent the rest of the day apologizing to the organizing committee of the competition and Samezuka. The original relay team were released from their small prison after the competition but they didn't get mad but rather said it was rather cool that they had been knocked out for Rin's sake to get him to love swimming again. The committee wasn't too happy though but they did find it hilarious that they had gone to such extremes to do something like that. "They're young. They can afford this kind of mistake," Amakata-sensei sighed as she faced the team, who all bowed low saying, "Sorry" for what may have been the 100th time that day.

"Sheesh, you could have just told us you know…" Gou muttered but she was stopped from saying further as tears came into her eyes. "Well, at least things turned out well and Samezuka isn't too pissed about it. But I must say, good relay," Goro smiled as he gave them a thumbs up. They were too tired to react so they just took to smiling sheepishly at each other. "But I have to say, I didn't expect you to come up with such a radical plan, Haruka-senpai!" Gou blurted as Haru scowled, "I just wanted him to be free." "There you go again with that…" Goro groaned as they got onto the bus, ready to go home to where they belonged.

Rin on the other hand was hailed as a hero in Samezuka, although his supervisor told him off a little. "Next time, tell me what you really think! I feel so bad as your captain now!" Mikoshiba howled as Rin sighed, "Everything is fine, captain." "Sorry for not telling you about the plan earlier, Mikoshiba-senpai! You can kick me off the team if you wish!" "Now now, Nitori! Not many men can do such a thing like what you did. We need more people like you on the team!" Does that mean we can go on breaking rules, captain?" one guy shouted as Mikoshiba gave him a scary grin, "Hell no." "Now boys! Lets go home!" he ordered as everyone shouted and walked back to the bus, leaving Nitori and Rin to face each other.

"Matsuoka-senpai…" Nitori said as Rin muttered, "Thanks. For everything, Ai." He said as Nitori's eyes widened. "Also, call me Rin-senpai from now on. Matsuoka is just too damn long and formal. Plus we're roommates," he said as Nitori smiled, "Ok, Rin-senpai!" As tears start to well in his eyes, Rin grabbed him in a headlock and ruffled his hair, dragging him back to the bus. As everyone soon dozed off after the events of that day, Rin stared at the distance, a smile on his face as he whispered, "Haru. Makoto. Nagisa. Rei… Thank you."

 **And that concludes the end of the first season! Next stop, Eternal Summer! Also, I have a little surprise for you guys in the next few chapters. Hehe.**


	15. New year

**Now we're in the Eternal Summer arc! Also, a new characters will be introduced here and if any of you have watched Prince of Stride, the name will be familiar (hehehe), although it was entirely random. I don't own the characters.**

Haru checked herself in the mirror, wishing she could get her hair cut as soon as possible as she walked out of the door, stretching a little and giving out a small yawn. It was the third day of their series of getting back into rhythm runs for the swimming competitions this year and she wasn't too glad to have to wake up around 6 in the morning for a 5 mile jog. Anyway, she didn't complain as she had nothing to do in the first place and being able to meet with Makoto and the others filled her heart with some joy. She would often just coop up in her room the whole holiday anyway.

"Good morning, Haru-chan!" Makoto smiled warmly as he stood outside of her door, waiting patiently as she slid on her shoes and offered a hand to pull her up. "Ready?' he asked and she nodded. Once they reached the bottom of the stairs, they started a light jog before running at a steady pace, their pants filling the cool air as the wind blew in their faces. It was still a bit chilly since it was March but with the changing of the seasons on the way, it would only be a matter of time when they could start swimming outdoors again. Goro would let them swim at his place anytime but Haru always liked the idea of swimming with the sky above her, the sun hitting her and warming her up.

"Remember the time when we were children?" Makoto asked as Haru smiled. She recalled everything perfectly, how small he was in his mother's arms as they parents chatted with each other on the day they moved in. Makoto had looked so shy and her heart melted when she saw how soft he looked. He was always chasing her as they grew up and she was glad that at least by the time they entered middle school, he was a bit taller than her and didn't cling onto her so much. She remembered when she swam with him, Ikuya and Asahi, even though they eventually entered the relay with another boy, she thought of how much fun she had with them. It was at those times she wished she was a guy but then again, she wouldn't be able to feel the way she felt about…

She shook her head and Makoto looked at her with a bit of concern when they heard Nagisa calling out from up front. "Hey, Haru-chan! Mako-chan!" he called as he bounced on his toes. As the boys talked with one another, Haru stared at the ocean, letting the sea breeze calm her mind as she took a gulp of air, smiling in contentment when Makoto said, "I hope you will be able to swim again soon." She smiled, grateful for their ability to communicate without many words as they began to run, birds chirping as they soared through the sky when a hawk squawked. She stared as a single feather fluttered from the sky and landed on her outstretched palm, bringing her memories of when the same thing had happened when they were in their first year of middle school.

…

"Wah! Long time no see!' Hey man! What have you been up to all break?!" laughs and chatter filled the air as they walked through the school gates, signaling the start of the new school year. Haru wasn't looking forward to the new syllabus and she couldn't wait to just finish school and get out of there. Speaking of which, they had a pretty serious matter at hand now… "We still haven't decided what to do about the club presentation right?" Makoto groaned as Haru grinned inwardly. She had no idea how on earth they were supposed to display their swim club when they couldn't even use the pool just yet.

"Now! We have to come up with a battleplan and recruit new members!" Gou said as she slammed a hand onto a blank whiteboard. The guys sighed as Haru looked at an exasperated Gou. "Guess we have no choice but… its time we make use of muscles!" she grinned as her eyes sparkled. "Are you sure that's legal?" Makoto asked as she growled, "Desperate times calls for desperate measures, Makoto-senpai!" "Sorry, Haruka-senpai. I didn't mean to drag you into this but if the guys see your body…" she mused as Makoto flushed red. "Whatever," Haru muttered as Nagisa said, "Okay! Let's get practicing on those muscles!"

A few days later and they found themselves waiting backstage, Makoto looking ready to run home. "Come on, Makoto-senpai! You have great muscles so you don't have to be shy!" Gou said as she read her script over and over. "I know but…" he muttered, not wanting to say he only wanted a certain person to be able to see him like that… he let the thought die in his mind as their club was called out. "Let me introduce the Swim Club!" the announcer said as the first years applauded. "Here goes nothing…" Makoto sighed as Nagisa ran out.

The end result was an empty clubroom save for their current members. Haru watched as Gou stared in disbelief, pissed that her method of using muscles not having worked. "What are we going to do now?" Rei asked as Nagisa leaped up, eyes shining as he said, "We just have to prove ourselves capable of reaching nationals now! Let's go training now!" But just as they made their way to the exit, a head peeked in, a guy staring around as he smiled awkwardly. "Uhm, is this the swimming club?" he asked as all of them cocked their heads. "Yes! You here to join?" Gou asked excitedly. "Sure, if you guys are still opened for registration," he said sheepishly as she thrust a signing form into his hands.

"Thanks," he smiled and as he took the form, Gou squealed a little as he started to write his name. The others watched him fill out the form before handing it to Gou. "I'm Suwabe Riku, from class 2-B. I just transferred here from Hokkaido so I'm pretty new to things. My stroke is free. Nice to meet…" he started to say when Nagisa grabbed him by the arms. "Did you just say you swim free?" he blurted as Riku gave a weak smile. "That's my main specialty," he said as Nagisa's eyes twinkled. "Guys, we can finally form a relay!" he yelled as the others celebrated, Riku wondering what was going on as Gou smiled, "Sorry to show how crazy we can be but we've hadn't been able to form a relay team until now." "Hope I'll be of use to you guys," he mumbled as Makoto raised a hand. "Welcome to the team, Riku," he smiled as the younger boy shook hands with him just as Gou said, "Now, why don't we head over to Goro's place?"

...

"Hey, kids! Just in time!" Goro called out as he rushed over with some flyers. The club had opened around a month back and he was looking for people to join as staff and members alike. Even though they took the pool most of the time, it wasn't going to keep it sustained for long if they didn't attract customers. "I was thinking about having a Splash fest for everyone to join, just to attract people. We'll have some events, like board paddling and the like. Also, since you guys are familiar with the sport… I was wondering if you would do a relay for the main event," Goro grinned as he waved the colorful flyer at them. He stopped for a moment, as though he just realized Riku's presence. "Eh, are you new?" he asked as Riku rubbed the back of his head. "Hi. I just joined the swim team today. Look forward to working with you," he said as he bowed low, earning a flustered look from Goro, who muttered "Too polite" under his breath.

"Ah! That would be great, Goro-san!" Amakata-sensei smiled as he tried to open his mouth to recommend about her wearing a swimsuit when he caught the fire stirring in her. "A relay…" Nagisa smiled, a wistful look on his face as he remembered how they had done it as kids. "But Haru-chan is a girl so wouldn't it be against the rules if she swam?" Amakata-sensei asked as Haru said, "I'll do it." "Eh, actually, since we have Riku here, maybe we can slot him instead?" Makoto asked as Haru felt her heart sink a little. "Maybe you should let Haruka-senpai on this one. I've never swum with you guys so I don't know if I can coordinate that well…" Riku started as Rei grinned. "Don't worry, Riku-kun! Everyone starts off like that and now is the best time to get a taste of my beautiful butterfly in action!" Riku paled a little at those words but he rubbed his head as he nodded silently, clearly in conflict about the relay. "Anyway, we need to find an opponent for the relay…" Rei muttered as Gou grinned, her phone in hand as she grinned, "I know just the person for the job."

…

"Huh? Splash fest?" Rin asked as he stood at the side of the dorm, his eyes trained at the trees swaying in the breeze in front of him. "Come on, Oni-chan! I know you would love to race with the Iwatobi team," Gou grinned from the other end as his heart fluttered. It had been a while since he raced them and he couldn't help but make his teeth glint in the sunlight as he detached himself from the wall and started to walk towards the swimming pool for practice. He had been nominated as captain a week ago and he was still trying to get into grips with the job, although he found it surprisingly more satisfying than he thought it would be, although the workload was quite something. "Wait a minute. You guys don't have enough people for a relay," he said as she chirped, "We just had a new member sign up so we are ready to go for a relay!" Rin clicked his tongue a little, wondering who the person was but he decided he would make his conclusion during the relay.

"I can't really take it as a club activity but I'll see what I can do," he said as Gou squealed from the other end as she rattled the date and time to him. He sighed as he pocketed his phone and walked to the swimming pool to see a big frame stuck onto the wall. "You're late, Rin," a guy grinned as he and Rin exchanged a series of fist bumps. "Gou called," Rin smiled as Sousuke followed him into the swimming pool. Out of the blue, his best friend and rival had transferred to Samezuka Academy and joined the swim club only to tell him he had got scouted the year before. Rin just didn't know what else could happen to him now.

"Relay eh? With Iwatobi?' Sousuke asked as Rin snorted. "Yeah, although it would be weird since a new guy is in the team…" Rin muttered as Sousuke laughed. "What?" he growled. "You still cannot let go of her, eh?" he smiled as Rin flushed red. "Shut it," he said as he slammed a fist into his rival's shoulder before making his way out, not noticing how Sousuke winced a little upon the contact as they were greeted by Nitori. "Captain!" he squeaked as Rin sighed, "Call me senpai for goodness sake, Nitori. I'm still not used to the title."

"Uh, I kinda overheard your conversation earlier and I wanted to ask, let me join the relay!" Nitori said as he bowed low. "Ai…" Rin said as Nitori continued, "I want to experience how its like to be in a relay and this would be a good chance to see how much I've improved!' Rin smiled as he rubbed the younger boy's head before bringing him into a headlock. "Alright then. You're on the team," he said as Nitori's eyes glittered. "I'll join in as well," Sousuke said as Rin frowned a little. "Oi, are you sure? I don't want you to go into it half-assed like last time," he said as Sousuke smiled. "You know me. I don't mess around," he said as Rin scowled as he looked around. "Now we just have to find out backstroke swimmer," he muttered, his mind racing as he thought of the race.


	16. Team Dolphin vs Team Shark

**Gonna be out of town for the next six days so won't be posting until past then. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter! I don't own the characters.**

"Good grief, where the heck are they?" Rin growled as he glanced at his watch. He hated having to wait on others and Nitori was running way later than usual. He looked around, boys heading out to enjoy themselves in the outside world for the weekend, all of them chatting and laughing without a care in the world. Sousuke lay on his back on the stone bench, glancing at the clouds moving in the sky as they heard a shout in the distance. "Sorry, senpai!" Nitori shouted as he screeched to a stop, panting as he took a few gulps of air. "Sheesh. Where on earth were you? And where is Nakagawa?' Rin demanded as Nitori finally looked as though he got all of the air in his lungs back.

"He got called out by a teacher. I think he got a really bad test score in the last test!' Nitori gasped as Rin scowled. Geez, didn't they know they have to study as well? Not like he was the best example to follow through. "Damn it, how are we going to do it now?" he groaned as Sousuke spoke up. "I can do both," he said as Rin scowled. "Hey, this may not be a major event but we shouldn't go in it half assed," he groaned as Sousuke sat up, "Its technically not against the rules right if its not an official event." "Still…" As they thought of what to do, Rin heard a name he hadn't heard in a while being called out by a group of first years.

"Oi, hurry up, Mikoshiba!" the boy shouted as a guy with familiar orange hair dashed past them, laughing as he apologized for it. "Man, I only know one person who ever had that surname," Rin muttered as Nitori stared after the boy with narrowed eyes as well. "What a coincidence. I feel the same way too," he said just as Rin stepped forward and yanked the boy by the scruff of his uniform. "Hey, whats the deal!?" the boy snapped as Rin glowered at him, "Are you by any chance Captain Mikoshiba's brother?' "Eh, you know Ni-chan?" he mused as Rin gave himself a mental slap in the face. Definitely the same brother. Nitori looked both pleased and a bit annoyed at the same time.

"So you do know how to swim?" Rin asked after Momo gave a lengthy intro about himself. So the person the captain had said was going to be awesome was his own brother, eh? Rin nearly face palmed himself for thinking that the captain would think Sousuke was the one who was awesome…"Well, I'm gonna go pick up some chicks so catch ya guys later!' he grinned but before he could make a run for it, Rin grabbed him again and slung an arm over his shoulder, a glint in his eye that made the younger boy flinch. "Why don't you come swimming for a bit?" he grinned as Momo made a face. "I don't wanna! Girls wouldn't like guys who swim!" he wailed as Rin gave him a smile, "Well, I know just the place where you can find cute girls." Secretly, Rin prayed for forgiveness from Haru about what he had told Momo since she fell under that category as well. Trying to hide the blush from his face, he dragged the younger boy with him as he and his team walked to the gates.

….

The Iwatobi team walked through the double doors of the swimming centre, children milling about as they got ready to swim. Some of them were already clad in their swim gear and they chatted and laughed among each other. Makoto's twin siblings clung onto him, nervous about the events ahead of them but excited to be able to swim where their brother used to swim when they heard a yell from the doors. "Oi, this place doesn't have cute girls!" Momo wailed as Rin dragged him in by the neck. "Well, there are! You see? Cute! Cute! Cute!" he shouted as the girls around him stared in fear and panic. Rin sighed, his eyes trying not to include Haru into the cute category when Gou called out, "You're late, Onichan!"

At her words, Rin could feel the air fill uneasiness as Momo stared at Gou, his eyes sparkling. "You're… you're cute!" he gasped as Rin groaned. Dammit, what was wrong with the Mikoshiba brothers and their deal with his sister? Momo didn't even bother to glance at Haru, who looked at him like he was a slug as Makoto exchanged greetings with them. Sousuke trailed from the back of the group, earning a smile and a wave from Gou, much to the frustration of Momo who growled a little as his senpai chatted with Gou. Before Momo could snap out a hasty remark, Rin grappled him and dragged him off to the locker rooms to change. As he passed by, Riku looked away as he muttered, "Lets have a good swim today" as Rin scowled, "You bet I will." Somewhere inside of him, he felt something a little uneasy about this guy.

"Well that was eventful," Makoto said as they changed into their swimsuits. Haru just waited outside, already in hers as usual as the boys whipped off their shirts. As they walked to the swimming pool area, they caught sight of a long line of muscular guys standing as they waited to show off their muscles. Gou was seated at the judge's table, a serious look on her face as she held up cards with numbers on them. "I can't believe that made it into the events…" Makoto groaned when Rei's eyes glimmered as he watched people swimming in the pool in samurai costumes. "So not beautiful," he groaned as Makoto laughed weakly. Haru was staring at the water, waiting to jump in when they announced the main event of the day.

"For the main event of today, a relay between Team Dolphin and Team Shark!" Goro shouted as the place filled with applause. Haru's heart pounded against her chest as she stood at the sidelines, watching as the boys jump into the water, clutching onto the metal bars as Goro said, "On your marks!" The gun went off and they shot into the water. Despite Momo being super loud earlier, he was doing a good job at swimming, even being almost neck to neck with Makoto. Rei and Nagisa shouted for Makoto to swim, Rin's team shouting as Rin grinned, "That kid is good!"

Haru sighed as she watched them swim, her heart pounding as she thought of her being able to swim with Rin in a real race. She may be a girl, but she wanted to stand on the same stage as him, her heart singing as he swam with her. The crowd went wild as Rin got ready to dive in. Rei was speaking to Sousuke, who looked ready to chomp his legs off while Rin and Riku stood next to each other, not speaking a word. She felt the tension in the air rise a little as Riku gave her a look of worry, earning a glare from Rin for some reason and a little look of worry from a tired Makoto. "Come on, don't fight now," she muttered as both of them took into the water at the same time.

"Wow, he's fast!" Makoto gasped as Riku kicked to the surface, reaching nearly at neck to neck speed as Rin. Rin grunted as he felt the guy getting closer, his legs kicking out as fast as he could. Shit… why couldn't Haru be here today? This guy… Riku… he seemed to not fit into the team. Why? Why did Rin feel so uneasy about this guy? Or was it another feeling entirely? Pity? He kicked hard, pushing himself against the wall at the same time as Riku did. He could almost feel the guy grinning in the water, his heart racing as adrenaline rushed through him as he reached out for the light..

"Dammit!" Nagisa and Rei groaned as they wagged their hands in frustration. They lost just by a little but after seeing that performance, Iwatobi was pumped about having a swimmer for a relay now. Nearby, Momo had received his official welcome into the Samezuka team and was receiving a round of applause from the crowd. As people started to go home, Haru walked to Rin and for some reason, she leaned close to him as she whispered, "Come to Iwatobi tomorrow." He yelped a little but didn't manage to catch her as she walked to change. "Sheesh, what's her problem?" he muttered as Momo and Nitori dragged him for dinner with Sousuke at their heels, his eyes following Haru as she disappeared into the shadows of the locker room.


	17. Wish come true

**Holiday is almost over! Aghh! So not looking forward to exams. Time really passes when you have fun! I don't own the characters (well except for Riku, tehe).**

Rin walked towards Iwatobi, passing by groups of students who had just finished their after school activities. Some of them turned to stare at the red head, girls whispering amongst themselves as they wondered who he was. Rin was partially used to getting stared at a lot, maybe due to him standing out quite a bit back when he was in Australia. He also had to admit he was slightly higher than normal when it came to looks. Not like he had the time to be dating or anything. He recalled how his father had given up swimming because he married his mother but he had said he hadn't regreted it and looked where that got him to…

Rin shook off those thoughts as the swimming pool came into view. He snorted to himself, thinking of how sad the pool looked as compared to the one he used regularly back in Samezuka when he called out, "Oi, I'm here!" When no one answered, he clicked his tongue and stomped to the top floor, standing outside as he called out once more. "Dammit, just what the heck they're doing?" he grumbled when the door swung open on its own accord. "Holy.." he muttered when he stepped in to be met by a familiar yell, "Get him!"

With that, something was chucked onto his head and he yelped as two guys grabbed him under the arms and dragged him forwards, his legs dangling above the ground as he struggled, yelling as he heard the Iwatobi people chatter amongst themselves. "Don't you struggle," Haru said in such a monotone voice Rin wondered just what the hell was going on. "Don't hurt Onichan!" Gou squealed from nearby as Rin gaped, "What the hell are you doing here too with this weird thing, Gou?!" He felt himself get deposited on the ground and as he stumbled, someone yanked the thing off his head, blinding him temporarily with light when he heard Haru say, "Oi, Rin, look up."

When he did, he gasped when he was met by a pool filled with Sakura blossoms floating on its surface, the wind still a bit brisk as he stared. He had recalled telling the others that he had wanted to swim in a pool filled with Sakura blossoms in the spring, even though now he knew if he were to do that, he would be in deep shit and catch a bad cold. "We remembered the time you told us this back when we were in elementary school so we thought we would surprise you," Haru said as Rin felt the tears come to his eyes. Man, he hated crying. "Come on, Onichan! Don't cry and jump in!" Gou piped as he eyed her.

"Go on," everyone chorused as they showed him to the pool as he protested. "Oi, it's still pretty cold out!" he said but he still wanted to jump in. "Come on, Rin!" Nagisa said just when they felt the beginnings of rain pelter onto them, sending them scattering like ants into the shelter, the juniors huddling under a shed as the third years stood at the benches as the rain poured from the sky. "Just great…" Rin muttered as he watched the rain, a smile on his face as he thought about how much he enjoyed school, even without the Iwatobi guys. He felt his heard tugging when he thought of how this will soon come to an end once the summer was over.

"What happened to that Riku guy?" Rin grunted as Makoto replied, "He went home early. Said he needed to do something." Rin sighed in relief inwardly, glad he didn't have to deal with being uncomfortable around the guy. "Hey, have you guys thought of what you want to do after high school?" Rin asked as Makoto looked at him, a smile on his face. "Well, I'm planning to go to the local college here," he said as Rin thought how it was like Makoto to do so. He eyed Haru, who remained focused on the water and he prayed she wasn't thinking of jumping in there. "And what about you, Haru?' he asked as she replied, "I just want to be free." "Are you still babbling on about that?" he groaned as Makoto asked, "What about you?" "Isn't it obvious? I'm going to swim at the world stage. But first, I have to overcome nationals," he said, his mind thinking to a future where he would stand in the sun, surrounded by swimmers from all over the world on the same stage. He could imagine Haru standing in the stands, a smile on her face as she wore the Japanese flag proudly on her back…

"You have talent Haru. Why don't you go into swimming? Even you, Makoto. Someone of your caliber should be able to get a recommendation or two," Rin said as Makoto smiled, "I don't think I'm that good to enter the competitive side of it…" "I don't care about times," Haru muttered but deep in her heart, she knew it was only a matter of time where she had to think about her future. But she couldn't see herself as anything other than being one with the water, swimming to her heart's content for the rest of her life. She just wanted to take it slow and swim at her own pace, in her team…

"I'll decide later on," Makoto beamed as Rin furrowed his eyebrows. He knew how attached Makoto was to Haru but he didn't know just how much Makoto was leaning on Haru to make his decisions in life. "Well, we better get going," Rin said as he turned to go to the changing rooms. The younger swimmers were still bickering about who had jinxed the rain to come while Gou was telling them about how they were supposed to clean the pool with the rain. As Haru disappeared into the girl's locker room, Rin placed a hand on Makoto's shoulder, asking, "You want to go where Haru is right?"

Makoto didn't make a move, just staring at where she had gone as he sighed a little. "She's just a little hopeless but she'll figure out what she wants to do," he said as Rin frowned, "You cant keep following her forever. You have to live your own life." "Same goes to you as well. You shouldn't force her to be on the same stage on you when she doesn't even care about her time." Rin sucked in a breath as he turned to face the green-eyed boy. "I just want her to be happy in the world of swimming where she belongs. She has so much potential. I… I just don't see why she doesn't bother about being more serious…" he muttered as he turned away to grab his bag. "I know what my future is… but what about you?" he asked, turning to walk away, leaving Makoto to stare at him, his thoughts filled with what the future holds for him.

….

Haru lay on her bed, a bit disappointed the day's plan had gone because of the rain. She stared at the ceiling, the air around her a bit chilled as she sighed, her hand thrown on her face as she thought of what Rin had said. Despite being in her third year, she had no idea on what she wanted to do with her life, nor cared what was to come. For all she knew, she could always just follow what Makoto was doing and go with the flow… but she knew her time was running out about what she wanted to do. Every time she had to fill in a career service form, she was suck with what to do with it, always writing free in it. It was basically what she wanted but she couldn't have it…

She clenched her teeth as she tried to go to bed, trying to not think about the future. Two more years until she was normal… that was what she told herself in the beginning of her second year but now, she wasn't so sure if she wanted to be like that. She wanted to be the freestyle swimmer everyone admires, swim to her heart's content in competitions, beat Emiya Sakura… but just how far can she get before she run's out? One reason she never wanted to care about her time is because she knew it would never be enough. Someone would always be faster than her.

She remembered having to deal with people getting flustered about their times despite them being fast. "I will get faster next time…" that was what others have always said but she knew she couldn't deal with the pressure. It would kill her to know she had to improve every tie she entered the water. She hated it when people said faster… faster… faster… time wasn't the only purpose of swimming… she wished people would just see that and not force the idea onto her… she stared at the moon hanging outside, hurt tugging at her chest as she tried not to think about the future…


	18. Nagisa

Training began at full speed and everyone was getting ready for their events for that year. The boys were pumped about being able to do a relay and had even started signing up for more events. Even Makoto tried signing up for 100m free, which was something he hadn't done in a long time and Haru hoped he wasn't pushing his luck too far. "Makoto-senpai, I know backstroke is your forte, but why did you join 100m free?" Gou asked as Makoto came out of the water, water dripping off his brown locks as he ran a hand through his hair. "Ah, his abs!" Gou squealed internally as he smiled, "Eh? I thought since this is my last year of high school, I might want to try something new."

Haru stood at the starting block, waiting for Rei to finish his turn when she heard what he said. She looked at him, seeing how the smile on his face was strained and didn't quite meet his eyes. As she swam, she thought of how everyone seemed to have some sort of inner conflict within them with the competition a month away. Even Nagisa didn't seem to be his own bubbly self as he swam, his swimming becoming more erratic and strained. Rei was always watching out for him in concern and Makoto would watch Haru swim, his mind wondering what she was going to do about her future.

"Haru, aren't you going to go in?" Riku asked as he stuffed his long hair into a ponytail. "You can go first," she said, wondering what made her give up a chance to enter the water as he jumped in. Riku was fast and his stroke was a little rough and choppy, as though he hadn't swum in a long time and was getting back into it. Funny, he didn't seem as though he had stopped swimming for a long time… maybe she had to ask him about it sometime… Haru shook her head, wondering why she was thinking about things like that when Nagisa called out, "Hey, Haru-chan! This lane is free if you want to use it!"

"Amakata-sensei. Don't you think everyone has been acting weird lately?" Gou whispered to the teacher to was hidden under a large umbrella. "Well, they're young and two of them are at the crossroads deciding on their future so it wouldn't be a surprise. But Nagisa-kun… it just doesn't feel as lively without him being his bubbly self," the teacher smiled sadly as Gou watched her team swim before calling out for them to start cooling down. "Oi, Nagisa-kun. Are you alright? You seem to be very quiet recently," Rei asked him as he smiled, "Don't worry, Rei-chan! I'm just a little tired from today's practice."

As he picked up his bag, Rei stared after him, not following him to the train station as usual. He had noticed that Nagisa's grades had been falling recently and the teacher had warned him that if he didn't do well, he may very well be stuck for supplementary classes later on in the summer and that would affect him being able to go for swimming practice. He sighed as he began the lonely walk back home, the sky turning dark as the sun set on the horizon. Makoto and Haru walked along the beach, watching the sunset as Makoto piped up, "Say, Haru-chan. What do you want to do next time?"

Haru remained silent for a moment before saying," What do you want to do, Makoto?" Makoto stopped in his tracks, his mouth hanging open slightly as he struggled to find the words she already knew. "You should stop following me around and live your own life. You can't be with me forever," Haru whispered as Makoto gulped. He knew she would say that but hearing them out loud just hurt his heart. Haru felt a little guilty about it as he smiled, "Don't worry, Haru-chan! I'll find out what I want soon." As he walked past her, Haru watched him leave, her heart aching as she thought of how Makoto was changing for the future. She hated it, hated the idea that she had to change to meet other people's wishes. She curled her hand into a fist, cursing how she had to live up to other people's dreams as she walked.

Back home, she threw her stuff onto the floor and lay on the bed, not bothering to flick off the lights as she stared at the ceiling. She let the light blind her eyes, making her wince a little as she imagined herself at the pool. She could hear the screams of people in the stands, everyone cheering when a voice bubbled up, "You have so much potential. If you would just try to go to the world stage…" "Shut up," Haru whispered as Rin's voice entered her mind. "So, what are you going to do with your future, Haru?" "I'll decide what I want soon," Makoto's voice filled her mind as she pressed her hands to her ears. "Don't… don't tell me what I have to do about my future…" she whispered as she hugged her pillow, wishing for the voices to stop when she heard the doorbell ringing.

"What the hell," she scowled as she pattered downstairs, sliding the door open to see Nagisa standing there in his school uniform. "Uh, good evening, Haru-chan," he grinned as she scowled, "What are you doing here?" "Eh… let's just say… I ran from home…" he muttered as she raised an eyebrow. "I don't know where Rei-chan lives and Makoto would tell me to call my parents for sure!" he wailed as Haru thought of why she was the last option when she was in fact off topic. She didn't want people getting the wrong idea about him coming to her house in the darkness. "Come in," she sighed as he shuffled in and out on the house slippers.

As Nagisa went to the bathroom, Haru picked up the phone she hardly ever used and rang up her team, who showed up promptly at her doorstep just as Nagisa came out. "Nagisa-kun! We've been worried sick!" Rei shouted as he enveloped Nagisa in his arms. Wondering what was going on, Haru stared at her phone to see a message that had been sent around two hours ago. "Nagisa hasn't come home yet and his parents are worried. If anyone of you knows where he went, please call me," Haru scanned the words as she flicked her phone shut. "Haru, you should read your text messages more frequently," Makoto sighed as he thought of the numerous text messages he had sent to her that remained unopened until he told her about them. Riku poked his head through the door as well, a small smile on his face as she glowered, "How did you know where I lived?" "Eh… Rei gave me your address and I happened to live nearby so I thought I should come over and help you…" he muttered as he entered.

"So, whats the deal, Nagisa?" Rei asked as they sat around the table in the living room. Wondering when her house had become the meeting place for the swim team, she went to make some tea as Nagisa started to tell them about his predicament. "My parents are worried about my results and they wanted me to quit swimming so I can focus on my studies. Of course, I rebelled but they are persistent… they didn't give me much of a choice in my studies anyway…" he muttered as Makoto piped up, "Come to think of it, you didn't take part in any swim meets back in middle school. Didn't your school have a swim club?" "They did, but the school was focused more on studies and my parents wanted me to get good grades so I didn't join anything throughout those three years… to tell you the truth, it was heartbreaking…" Nagisa said as he curled his hands in his lap.

"I don't want to go back to those times! Sure, I had better grades but now I have you guys and I'm having so much fun swimming with you all! Even though we don't have a relay team… I've never been so happy and free in so long!" Nagisa whispered as tears began to stream from his eyes. "That's why… please, let me stay here, Haru-chan!" he begged as he bowed low on his knees. As everyone stared at him, Haru muttered, "No." "Eh?! That's quick!" Rei gaped as Haru continued, "What if your parents find out that you're here? Not only will you get into trouble, but we would get into trouble as well for making them worry by not telling them you're here. But I feel you, Nagisa… I really do… I'm sorry," Haru said as Nagisa wiped his eyes.

"I knew you might say that…" he muttered before he whipped out a camping kit from his bag. "That's why I bought this!" he said triumphantly before Makoto sighed, "I don't think it would be a good idea for a high schooler to be camping in the middle of the week here." As Nagisa sighed in defeat, a thought came to Haru's head as she said, "I have an idea." Not long, they found themselves standing outside of Iwatobi SC, the building dark as they opened the doors. "Goro is gonna kill us!" Makoto whispered as Haru said, "We'll worry about that later." "So why here?" Rei asked. "The water will answer everything," Haru replied as he scowled, "That's not the point, Haruka-senpai!"

"Guys, I'm sorry for dragging you guys into this but you're the only ones who understand my feelings," Nagisa whispered as Makoto patted his shoulder. "Don't worry. We'll find a way out of this. We always do as a team, right?" he smiled as everyone nodded. Nagisa looked like he was about to cry again when they heard a car pull up in the parking lot. "Shit, hide!" Rei snapped as he grabbed Nagisa and hauled him down the corridor. "It's dark…" Makoto whispered as Haru started after them. "Hey, don't leave me here!" he wailed as he chased after them to the pool area. "I don't remember signing up for the swim team to be involved in this kind of stuff…" Riku thought to himself as they skidded to a halt at the swimming pool.

"Dammit, we're out in the open!" Rei groaned as Nagisa stared at the curtains that hid them from the view of the person from the other side. Footsteps sounded as they neared them, making the boys and Haru gulp. Just then, there was the sound of bags dropping on the floor when Riku placed a hand on Nagisa's shoulder. "Nagisa, if you love swimming, do what your heart tells you to do," he said as Rei gaped at him. Nagisa smiled as he walked towards the curtains, his hands curled into fists as he walked. "Nagisa!" Rei hissed as he turned around to smile at them. "Thanks for everything, guys. But I'll take it from here," he said as he turned to face the curtains before shouting, "I don't want to quit swimming!" His voice rang throughout the complex and Haru felt her heart thunder against her chest as Nagisa continued, "I love swimming and I've never been so happy with my school life for so long! I love the team and I want to continue swimming with them! I promise I'll study harder but please… don't make me quit swimming! I beg with you!" He bowed low, tears streaming from his face as he watched the curtains part, his breath hitching as someone sniffled.

"Nagisa-kun… I won't make you stop swimming," Amakata-sensei smiled as she walked in, earning a few 'ehs' from the group. "I think you should tell your real feelings to your parents. They're worried about you," she smiled as Nagisa teared up before holding onto her. She patted him on the back as he sobbed, his body shaking as the others joined them. "Uh, we won't get into trouble for this right?" Makoto muttered as Amakata-sensei put a finger to her lips. "I won't tell anyone about this. You guys did well tonight," she grinned as they sighed in relief. "Now, let's get you guys home," she said and as everyone walked out, Rei holding onto a sniffling Nagisa, Haru thought of her place in all of this. Would she do what Nagisa had done if she were in her position? Just how much did she care about swimming at this point?


	19. Its my burden to bear

**Weekend is here! Can't wait for comic con tomorrow! I don't own the characters (except for Riku).**

"Ok, guys! Go through your relay formation once more!" Gou shouted as they lined up behind the starting block. "Man, can't wait to eat the ice cream near the station today!' Nagisa grinned. "Don't Nagisa-kun! You shouldn't put so many unnecessary things into your body before such an important match!" Rei wailed as Makoto tried to calm them down. Riku merely stared at them, watching them bicker. "Hey, don't zone out and concentrate," Haru said from the sidelines as he continued to stare at the water. For some reason, she felt a little uneasy about him. Why was that… "On your marks!" Gou said as she set off the whistle.

The guys swam in unison, their forms perfect but not so much so for their exchanges. "Dammit," Riku muttered as he finished his round. "Don't worry, Riku-kun. You still have a bit more time…" Gou said but she knew time was running out. "One more time," he said as the guys huddled behind the starting block again. Makoto watched as the younger guy dove in after Rei, swimming as fast as he could to make up for the lost time. "Say, Makoto. Do you like Riku?" Haru asked. "I think he's a good teammate but he always seems like he's trying to put everything on his shoulders…" Makoto said as Riku popped his head out of the water.

"Good job, guys! Riku-kun, you still have to improve but you're getting there," Gou smiled as everyone moved to the showers. As Haru stood under the running water, she looked to the side, watching the guys as they splashed at each other. She felt a little lonely being the only girl on the team and she felt her heart sink a little as she saw Riku with them. Somehow, he barely seemed to be joining in the fun and stood a little ways from them. Once they were done, the younger boys headed to the train station while Makoto and Haru walked back together. Riku had started off a little earlier when Makoto called out. "Hey, Riku!" he called as the boy turned around a little stiffly.

"Hi, senpai!" he said, although the smile didn't quite reach his face as Makoto said, "Why don't you walk back with us?" "Eh, I didn't want to interrupt your time with Haruka-senpai and all…" he muttered as Makoto went a little scarlet. "I… we weren't doing anything much so come on and follow us," he said as he grabbed the younger boy by the arm and dragged him with them. Riku straightened up a little and walked slightly behind them, his head hung low before they reached the beach. "I never knew Iwatobi is so beautiful," he said as the wind whipped his face. "Well, you get used to it eventually," Makoto said. "Actually, why did you transfer to Iwatobi? Weren't you originally from Hokkaido?"

"My grandparents live here and my parents thought it would be better for me to live in a smaller town so I wouldn't be so distracted from my studies." Haru thought that was a pretty peculiar excuse as Riku asked, "Senpai, how do you connect with the team?" "Eh?" Makoto muttered as they stopped walking, the waves lapping against the shore as the wind became a bit stronger. "Tell me, senpai. How do you connect with the team?" Makoto was lost for words, his mind racing as he thought of it. Rei didn't have any problem integrating in the team but it was normally like that in the beginning right? "Never mind.. that was a really weird question. Forget I asked," Riku said as he turned to walk away, leaving them behind as Haru asked, "OK… what just happened?"

….

"Eh? Riku-chan said that?" Nagisa muttered halfway through chewing his bread as Rei made a face about how breadcrumbs littered his pants. "Well, we swim together in the relay and we show each other a sight we have never seen before… right?" Rei said, unsure of the answer as well. It wasn't something theoretical he would take out from a book and they sat in a circle, wondering on what to do. They often hung out together even during break but Riku had yet to join them in anything. He was sort of the lone ranger for their group and it made them feel a little uneasy. Haru though maybe that could be the reason as to why she felt that way…

'Anyhow, lets just make sure we get the relay timings right and we'll be set to go for the competition!" Makoto said as they muttered in agreement "Anyway, we have to go through your dietary needs for the competition, guys! Your meals are so not balanced!" Gou spoke up as they moaned in protest. Haru just ate her meal of rice and mackerel, perfectly contented with it as Gou glowered at her. "Sheesh, pay attention as well, Haruka-senpai!" she growled as Haru promptly tried to hide her bento.

"Ah, can't believe the competition is next week!" Nagisa smiled as they finished their stretches. "Yeah…" Riku muttered. "Don't worry, Riku-kun! We all get nervous in our first swimming competition!" Rei grinned. "This isn't my first time…" he muttered as they looked at him. "I swam in competitions back in middle school… just haven't been to one in a while so I feel a bit competent about my skills," he said as Makoto patted him on the shoulder. "Don't look down on yourself so much. You're doing great," he said as Riku gave him a smile sad enough to break his heart, as though something in him had been shattered and he was still trying to pick up the pieces.

"That's what they all said," he muttered as he jumped into the pool. The others watched him go before they jumped in as well. Haru swam, thinking of Riku's words. He sounded as though he was dreading not just the swimming competition, but also the relay. She wondered how could he not understand that she wanted to do it so badly but she couldn't because of her gender…. She decided to leave those thoughts for now as they continued with their training. Gou passed them water and they gulped it down quickly, tired out from so much training. "Come on, guys! You're almost there!" Gou said as she tore the page from the calendar she made marking the days to the competition.

"Now, time for the relay exchange. Haruka-senpai, if you'll set the timer," Gou said as Haru picked up the timer, her finger on the start button as Gou signaled Makoto to enter the water. Riku looked a little lost at the moment, his face staring at the ground as the whistle went off, not even phasing him even as Makoto entered the water. "Hey, Riku-kun! Focus!" Gou shouted as he snapped out of his reverie, starting to see that Rei had already entered the water. "Sorry!" he shouted as he got ready to leap in. When Rei hit the wall, he flinched a little as he jumped in, water splashing in a wave as he dove. "He's a bit more messy than normal," Gou muttered as she took note of their strokes and times.

The session ended with them being told to work on their exchanges and they walked to the school gates, Riku getting ready to run off. "Riku-kun!" Makoto called out before Riku could run off on his own. "What is it?" he muttered, a little aggressive as Makoto asked, "Whats holding you back? You seemed very troubled during the relay." "It nothing." "It didn't look like nothing." "Its none of your business!" "Its my business as captain and our business as your teammates to know whats going on!" "Come on, Riku-chan. Everyone's worried about you!" Nagisa said as Riku wiggled his eyebrows. "-chan…" he muttered as Haru sighed, "He does that to everyone. Ignore him."

At that moment, Riku curled his hands into fists as he whispered, "How… how are you guys so close? I…. I never knew what I was like to have teamwork before. I was always left alone.. even in a relay, I had to carry the burden on my own!" He slammed a hand into the wall and they were startled as some tears started to run from his eyes. "I didn't come here because my parents told me to. I came here to get away from there…" he said as Nagisa placed a hand on his shoulder. "Riku-chan. When someone is sad… we need something sweet!" "Eh?!" Riku blurted as Nagisa dragged him off, his protests filling the air as the others trailed behind.


	20. Riku's story

"So you asked for a transfer here because of what happened in school?" Haru muttered as she stirred her drink with the straw. The ice had already started to melt but she didn't make a move to finish drinking it. Everyone had ice cream or some form of cold beverage in their hands, their eyes trained on Riku who looked ready to melt into a puddle. "I know it sounds stupid, but swimming at one point in time was everything to me. When I couldn't get support from anyone about it, I just gave up. I couldn't take it… not being able to do what I loved with anyone…" "Okay, start from the top. Nice and easy. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to though," Makoto said as Riku shook his head, stray droplets falling from his ponytail. "Don't worry, Makoto-senpai. I've been meaning to tell you guys anyway."

"I started swimming back in elementary school. I fell in love with it quickly and it soon became something I wanted to do in life. I would swim almost every day and enter swim meets with my SC. I had tons of fun and I was improving a lot as well. My coach told me to enter one of the top swimming schools in Hokkaido and that was what I did in middle school. Initially, I thought I would be good enough to stand on the same stage as them, but I was wrong…" he curled a hand on the table as he continued. "I was considered the low level and I could barely keep up with the others. The coach would often yell at me to improve faster and I felt like I was going to burn out anytime soon."

"Eventually, I started to dread coming to practice. The older swimmers didn't want to associate with those who couldn't swim fast, feeling as though we might make them swim slower. The coach wasn't any better as he was only looking for times and nothing else. The place was like a military camp and even though I knew I had to train hard to be at the top, I didn't want to do it to the extent of dreading practice and not being able to surpass anyone no matter how much I tried. Then the time came for the relay…"

"I was placed in a team of first years. Most of us barely had any experience with a relay but the coach insisted we did one anyway. I did one back in sixth grade but that was about it. When we swam, the coach would shout at us for the smallest mistakes and that diminished our morale a lot. When the time for the competition finally came, I could feel the deadness in the air, the life from my team sucked from my chest. I felt as though I would die, die in the cold water on my own. I swam with all my might and being the freestyle swimmer, all the burden was placed on me. The first two did reasonably but our third swimmer swam as though all hope was lost… and we did end up losing."

"They blamed it on me as the last swimmer. I had swum so hard and tried to make up for the mistakes they had done, but they still pushed it on me. The club saw me as a weak swimmer with no room for improvement and the coach gave up on me entirely. I wanted to die. The sport I had loved became something that stripped all hope I had in teamwork and my own abilities as a swimmer. I continued to swim the end of the year before I quit. Things weren't that great in class either. Since I spent so much time with the swim team, I barely had any time to talk to my classmates and I ended up sitting out of most things. At the end of the day, I was all alone."

"Because of the swimming club, I thought it would be impossible for me to trust anyone in a sport because of the relay and I thought if anything happened, I rather do it on my own accord instead of having to be on a team. I thought I could make things right once I left the team and go back to my SC, but by the time I got back, the SC had closed and my coach had passed away from an illness. I lost the one person who gave a damn about my swimming and urged me to go for the top. My parents weren't the best supporters of it and wanted me to focus on my studies more. I was in a bind, not having any support until I collapsed on myself. That was when I decided to go see regionals where Iwatobi happened to take part in the relay."

"I happened to be in the area visiting an uncle and thought I would see a swimming competition after not being in one for so long. When I saw you guys swimming, I felt something in my heart moving. I felt as though I had seen something that gave me hope for swimming once more. I wanted to get back into it, swim with a team just like you guys. I wanted to smile with you all, train to death with you guys and experience victory with you all. That's why, I am so sorry for being this way until now, for creating an uneasiness among all of you! I'm truly sorry!" Riku said as he bowed his head, smashing it in the table in the process. He howled a little as he clutched the red bump on his forehead as the others stared at him.

"Riku-chan…" Nagisa whispered as Riku muttered, "Also, don't call me Riku-chan… it's weird…" "Riku-kun…. That was so beautiful!" Rei gasped as he wiped tears from his eyes. "What do you mean? It sounds like some weird ass sob story from a shojo manga or something," Riku said as Makoto smiled. "Riku, we all have our faults before we came here. You're not alone in this and we understand this as your teammates. That's why just tell us what you're feeling and we'll help you with it." "Guys…" Riku whispered as Haru spoke up, "I thought I would swim free alone my whole life but I realized that wasn't the case. When I met these guys, I wanted to swim with them forever as a team." "That's why, please take care of them for me in my place, Riku," she said as she bowed low but not low enough to hit the table. Riku's eyes clouded with tears as he slowly wiped them away. "Hai, Haruka-senpai."

As they paid for their bill, they walked out to stand at the empty sidewalk, the stars shining above them as Nagisa pointed above. "Remember last years training camp? We stood underneath stars like this one!" he smiled as Rei sighed, "Yes, we did." "Come on, put your hands together!" Nagisa shouted as he placed his hand first. Everyone did the same before Riku stood there, seeing the pile of hands. "Come on, Riku. You're part of the Iwatobi team now," Makoto smiled as Riku sniffled before placing his hand on top of the pile. "Hai!" he smiled as everyone shouted, "Go, Team Iwatobi!"

…

Training resumed and the relay began to improve. Everyone was getting pumped about it and when Riku finally received his team jacket, he ended up barreling into Nagisa and Rei, crying as they did a group dance. He held onto his shirt and jacket, promising he wouldn't fail them as they tried to get him to raise his head. "Make sure you guys rest up!" Gou called as they headed home. Now Riku would follow them home since he was in the next neighborhood anyway.

"Its finally tomorrow, eh?" Riku smiled. "Yeah, I can't wait for the relay! Its been so long!" Makoto sighed as Haru looked at the ocean. The sun had gone down and the stars sparkled in the water. "Don't worry about it, Haruka-senpai! You'll do well in it!" Riku smiled as he slammed a hand into her back. Makoto gaped a little at the gesture but Haru didn't seem to bother much about it. She was glad that they finally had a team but deep down, she felt so alone about swimming. Everyone she loved was around her, so why was she feeling that way?


	21. Prefecturals

**The weekend is here! Those of you who like Boku No Hero Academia, I started writing a fanfic called All for One (villain Deku) so go check it out if you like! Now, onto the story!**

 **I don't own the characters.**

The team met outside of the swimming complex, the sun beating their backs as they strode towards it, the structure shining in the sunlight. "Wow, that's big," Riku muttered as he yawned loudly. He looked like he hadn't slept the entire night and was a bit fidgety as Nagisa wrapped an arm around his neck and dragged him over to registration. Haru sighed as she headed over to the girl's registration area when she heard someone breathing down her neck. "What do you want, Emiya-san?" she groaned as Sakura leaned in to locate her name. "This is our final year in high school so make sure you don't screw up," she growled as she slammed the pen down, shocking the volunteer a little as she headed off with the other girls.

"Sheesh, why does she care about my performance so much?" Haru mumbled when she heard some squeals coming from the Miyagi group. She scowled when she saw the Samezuka guys piling out of their bus, earning squeals from the group as their teacher shooed them into the complex, leaving Rin standing at the steps of the bus. He spotted her and gave her a wave as she felt a small blush on her cheeks. "See you later, Haru!' he called as she rejoined her team, giving him a small smile as she walked into the complex.

"Eh, captain! You know that cute girl? She's your girlfriend or something?" Momo grinned as Rin grappled him to the ground when he heard a shout, "Yo, Momo! You're here!" Momo groaned as Seichirou strode towards them, wearing his normal clothes as he patted his brother on the head. "What are you doing here, Onichan? Aren't you supposed to be at uni?" he groaned as Seichirou grinned. "I have to come and support my old team, don't I?" he grinned as Momo snapped, "That's just a reason for you to ditch class!" "Come on, guys. Let's get in and begin your stretches," Gou started to say when both brothers turned to look at her. "Gou-san!" they shouted as they tried to run after her before she was yanked to safety by the Iwatobi team. "Sheesh, what do you people see in my sister?" Rin groaned as he leads his team to the registration booth.

The place was packed as usual but the Iwatobi team was pumped, even Riku had let go of some of his nervousness once he felt the atmosphere of the upcoming race hitting him. He smiled as he watched people swimming below him, teams raising banners in the air and practicing their cheers. He clutched a hand to his chest, tears nearly forming in his eyes as Rei said, "No time to cry, Riku-kun! Let's get practicing!" As the boys headed off to practice, Haru stood at the side of the pool, dipping her foot in a little as she peeled off her shirt to reveal her swimsuit underneath. Some of the boys stopped to look at her as she tossed her garments aside and walked to the starting block to wait for her turn,

"Sheesh, I wonder what those guys see in you," Sakura growled as she stood beside her. "And I wonder why you always want to pick a fight with me," she muttered as Sakura snorted. "I won't let you win Rin's heart." "I don't care about what he feels about me. He's just a friend." "Are you that blind? Damn it, sometimes I just want to choke you…" "Go ahead and see what happens…" "Why you little…" "Come on, Sakura-san! You can save the energy for later, can you?" her teammate smiled as she broke their argument, letting Haru dive into the pool, feeling the cold seep into her. As she swam, she thought of how Riku had described his middle school life and how he felt so alone. Now… she was starting to get what he was saying.

No. Now was not the time to be thinking something like that. Be positive… be positive… "And now, let the prefectural tournament begin!" the announcer said as all the teams went wild, cheering for their teams as the first of the competitors walked to the pool. Haru stood at the stands, her yellow shirt on as she frowned a little, wondering why they still had to go with this outfit. "First up is Haruka-senpai and then you guys. The relay will be tomorrow," Gou said. "Ah, I wish I can go for it now!" Nagisa groaned as Rei nodded. "Now now, guys. Let's focus on your events today," Makoto said as Haru got up. "Then, I'm off," she said as her team smiled at her, words crossing from their expressions to her as she walked off.

As she entered the locker room, she felt her heart pounding more than usual. Why did she feel frightened all of a sudden? It wasn't like she had never swum at a tournament before so why… then she remembered Sakura's words. "This is our last tournament in high school." The words rang in her mind as she thought of how she would not be able to swim with the others again. Next year, it would be just Rei, Nagisa and Riku and she and Makoto would have to part ways… no, now wasn't the time to think about the future. She slammed her locker door shut and walked to the waiting area, catching a glare from Sakura as she plopped down on the chair.

"Girls under-18 100m freestyle heat 2, please make your way to the swimming pool immediately," the announcer said as she got up, looking at the sun shining from the entrance. She smiled as she felt her heart ease as she walked to the pool, the crowd going wild as they cheered. Her team shouted her name, pumping their fists into the air as they cheered. "You can do it, Haru!" Makoto shouted as she stood behind the starting block, fastening her cap onto her head. She smiled inwardly as she pulled on her goggles and got onto the starting block, waiting for the signal to go. This was her last summer with them… she couldn't afford to lose…

"On your marks…" the announcer said and the gun went off. The crowd roared as they hit the water, shouting as they swam. Haru paddled faster than she ever had, not caring about how her lungs were about to explode. She had to swim for the team, beat Sakura and go to the next level. She wanted to win for her team and swim with them forever. But… when did she start to care about her time? Didn't this go against her principle of being free? Why did she have this feeling so late in the game? No, she couldn't think about it now. Now she had to swim. For Makoto, Nagisa, Rei, Riku. "Rin," she whispered to herself as she gave a burst of energy, shooting off into the water. She couldn't even sense Sakura near her now as she saw the starting point ahead. Come on, almost there…

She slammed her hand into the wall, gasping as she took gulps of air. "She… she won!" her team hollered as the crowd went wild. She looked at her time, her eyes shining as the number 1 shone next to her school name. It seemed to suck all of her breath away as she saw a hand being lowered to her. "Good job, Haru-chan," she thought she heard Makoto say when she saw the face fading to nothingness. She felt a little tinge in her heart as she pulled herself up, letting her hand pick up her towel and jacket and walk into the shade to where her team enveloped her in their arms.

"That was amazing! You broke the record!" Riku shouted as Nagisa and Rei threatened to break her arms. "Now, guys! Let her have some space!" Makoto moaned but he was red from laughing and smiling at her. "Good job, Haru-chan!" he smiled as she frowned. "Lay off the –chan," she muttered but she high fived him anyway. "Come on, your turn is next, Riku so show them what you got!" Gou beamed as Riku's eyes lit up. "Hai! After seeing that, I feel motivated now!" he said as he walked to the waiting area. "Haruka-senpai, watch me!" he smiled as he walked away, leaving them to drag her back to the stands to cheer for him.

When Riku swam, Haru could feel her breath being snatched away, his form being more beautiful than before. He no longer looked like he was being held back and he looked like he was having fun. Finally free from his bounds, he could swim without any regrets. Rin grinned as he swam next to him, Riku losing to him just by a short time span but managing to pull through to regionals. "Now you're talking," Rin smiled as he pulled the other boy up before giving him a high five. Riku nearly sobbed as he was pulled to the higher ground, earning a grin from Rin who started to chat with him as they walked back.

By the end of the day, everyone had managed to make it into regionals for their respective events. Haru could feel her throat growing more hoarse by the minute, screaming without a care in the world for her team. At the end of it, everyone was exhausted but still ready for the relay the next day. As they parted ways, Haru, Makoto, and Riku walked back to their homes, the sea greeting them as it always did at that time of the day. "I can't wait to swim tomorrow," Riku sighed. "Don't worry. We'll show you a sight you've never seen before," Makoto said as Riku pumped a fist into the air. As he said those words, Haru thought of how she would never get to swim with them to see that sight and she felt her heart crumble a little as they walked down the street.


	22. Relay

**I don't own the characters.**

The sun was hot the next day as Haru stood in the stands with the others, fanning herself a little as she threatened to take off her shirt to reveal the swimsuit underneath. She may not be swimming today but she wore a swimsuit anyway, one of the die hard habits she had had for as long as she could remember. Now that she was older, she thought it was a good thing she had this habit as it preventing Makoto from seeing her bare whenever he came to collect her for school. She flushed a little at the thought of a flustered Makoto, wondering if he even saw her as an attractive girl when she heard the announcer call out the event for the time being.

"Ah! That's us!" Makoto said as the guys grabbed their gear and started to walk away. Haru felt her heart tumbling into the abyss as they walked past, smiling as they did so. Makoto stopped for just a moment, turning around to cast a guilty look on his face before he uttered, "Watch us, Haru!" Those words brought back a slight spark to Haru as they left and she watched as Samezuka made their way downstairs as well. She clutched the railing a bit harder than she has liked as the boys made their way onto the swimming pool, all of them baring their team names on their backs as onlookers shouted their names.

She could see her team speaking to each other a little, Makoto a little nervous but excitement radiating over him at the same time as he got ready to jump into the pool. She could imagine them when they were younger, Makoto close to tears when he was about to enter until Rin soothed him. Nagisa was all energy when he was waiting in line while Rin tried his best to look serious. Haru had her usual poker face look but that didn't stop her from having a hamering heart as she watched the others swam. She watched as Makoto did the same thing at that moment, his large hands clutching the bars as the announcer said, "On your mark."

With that, the gun went off but something was wrong. Makoto propelled into the water slightly later than the others, earing gasps from their group. "What happened? He dove in a little late!" Gou gasped as Haru stared. "Don't tell me this was because of him feeling guilty about me not being able to swim with them?" Haru thought to herself as she silently cursed herself. Last time was Rin, and now Makoto was feeling it as well? Just why did they care so much about her? "Don't… don't lose… not when you finally have the relay, Makoto!" she shouted as the others turned to stare at her. She could feel Makoto jerk at her words and that seemed to make him swim faster. "Almost there, Makoto!" their team shouted as Nagisa got ready to jump in.

"Go, Nagisa!" Makoto shouted as he leaped into the water. They were close with Samezuka, both swimmers nearly aligned as Nagisa took the lead. Haru knew Rei may slow them down a little because of his inexperience, but Riku… "Don't give up guys! You can do this!" she whispered to herself as Amakata-sensei, Gou, and Goro shouted for the team, their words ringing in her ears. She should be cheering, not thinking about how she was upsetting people. Why was her future coming to her mind now? Get out… leave me alone… don't bother me right now…

"Go, Riku!" Rei screamed as he broke the surface, the last swimmer sailing over him as he dove into the water. Riku was swimming very fast, his arms flying in and out of the water. He never seemed to tire as he swam, swimming at neck to neck speed with Rin. "He might actually win this!" Goro gasped but Haru felt her chest pain when she remembers how he would normally slow down in the end. She wanted Rin to win as well but her team, they came first. But, was she really a part of the team when she wasn't in the relay. "Go go go, Riku! Swim swim swim, Riku!" Iwatobi yelled as she was snapped out of her reverie. She watched as Rin passed Riku ever so slightly and she felt her heart cry out in agony.

"Go, Riku!" she screamed, her voice piercing the air through the water. She could almost feel Riku jerking at her voice and his speed began to speed up. "Come on, win this… win this!" she screamed as he swam faster. His legs must be in agony… but… he was almost there! "Come on, Riku!" the boys shouted as he neared the end. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1… he slammed his hand less than a second after Rin had reached home, earning yells from everyone. Her heart sank at the thought they had lost but on the other hand... "We're going to regionals!" they yelled as they hugged each other. Even though they were far away, she could see them crying into each other, Nagisa jumping up and down nearly strangling the others while Riku sobbed, "Thank you for showing me such a beautiful sight!" "Now, now, guys. You're making such a scene…" Rin groaned but he was grinning anyway. The only one not celebrating was Makoto and as he looked up, Haru could see his pained face as they turned to return to the stands.

…

"That was amazing, Makoto senpai! You were a little late but you still managed to keep up and bring us to the front!" Riku smiled, his eyes twinkling so much Haru thought she would die of too much sunlight. Riku was still bouncing on the balls of his feet as they walked down the road back home, the sun still high in the sky as it was only mid-afternoon. Glad they didn't have to go back to school for the day, Haru just wanted to go home and soak in the bathtub to her heart's content. "Say, Haruka-senpai. You're in the regionals team so don't look so glum!" Riku continued but that didn't make Haru feel any better. Noticing how the air seemed to become heavier the more he babbled, Riku made the excuse to go ahead since he had too much pent-up energy and needed to run to get rid of it.

"Man, that guy is a handful," Makoto smiled tiredly; glad he was able to have some alone time with Haru. He felt things had been tense since they had to train for the competition but now that was out of the way, he could at least ask her what was going on, although he knew what she was going through. "Haru…" he began but he felt his throat constrain when he tried to ask her about her studies. He knew she never liked to discuss such matters and he didn't want to shatter her mood even more. "How did you find the relay earlier?" he asked instead, noticing her shoulders tense a little as she muttered, "Beautiful."

"Really? I thought I could see the sight we showed each other before… yeah, I did have fun, although I wish we won…" Makoto grinned lopsidedly as he continued, "Well you can be in a relay next time when you join your university team, right?" he regretted speaking those words when she whispered, "Do you think I even have a shot at university?" Those words rocked him a little as they neared the tall staircase leading to their home shrine. "Haru…" he whispered as she began to walk first. "I'm sorry, I'm just a little tired. Goodnight, Makoto." He watched as she disappeared into her house before he went up to his own.

"Congratulations, Oni-chan!" his twin siblings grinned as he entered the home, nearly strangling him as he walked in. His mother had cooked a nice meal and they soon dug in as they discussed what happened that day. Makoto felt like he couldn't talk much about his victory that day though and he found himself walking to his room and throwing himself onto the bed, staring at the window that showed the ocean beyond. One roof down was Haru's home and he could imagine her in her room now, on her bed resting or maybe taking a bath to calm herself… "Haru…" he whispered, closing his eyes as he tried to not think about his uncertain future as she dreaded the same thing.


	23. Worrying about the future

**After having a writer's block for this fanfic for a long time ( I think a month or more!), I finally managed to write the last few chapters of this story after being inspired once again by Timeless Medley and Take your Marks. I wish season 3 will come out soon! Can't wait to see life at university for those guys.**

 **Speaking about uni, I'm done with my first year! Wohoo!**

 **I don't own the characters (except for Riku).**

"Haru-senpai! Your timing is out! Whats going on?!" Gou demanded as she brandishded the timer in Haru's face. She merely ignored her as she got into the pool once more, splashing water all over Gou as she sighed. Prefecturals may be over but regionals were up in a month and they didn't have time to fool around much. The guys were working hard on their relay and every time they do so, Makoto could see Haru watching them from the bench, staring as she tried not to feel the loneliness creep over her. Haru smacked herself mentally, wondering why she was feeling that way when Amakata-sensei came up. "Haruka-chan. You shouldn't feel so bad about it. You just have to try your best at your own event," she smiled as Haru hung her head. There was also another problem in her mind.

She had been scouted a week ago and normally that would have sent any swimmer into a ballistic fit since that would guarantee a spot for them at a university. As for Haru, she just declined the offer, as she had no idea on what to think. Going to uni… going far away from home, from the guys, from Makoto… she didn't even know what she wanted to do with her life! "Ah yes, Haruka-san. A scouting call came in today as well from one of the Tokyo universities. I was thinking that you could call the back…" she began as Haru stood up. "Tell them I decline," she muttered as she dove into the pool once more, earning an exasperated sigh from the teacher but also a look of concern. "This is how youth is like, eh?" she whispered as she went back to the school building.

"I heard you got scouted, Haruka-senpai! That's amazing news!" Rei beamed as they walked to the station. Haru hung her head low, the words floating over her head as Riku spoke up. "Well, she still has around half a year to think so it should be ok, right?" "Well, not many people are good enough to get a scouting offer so early so that's amazing!" Makoto watched Haru grip her bag harder than she would normally like as she turned to go back. "Hey, Haru?" he called as she ran off home, her hair flying behind her as droplets dripped from them. "Is she alright?" Nagisa asked as Makoto sighed. "She's like this sometimes," he muttered but deep down, he knew what was bothering her but he couldn't bring himself to bring it to the open.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow then!" he called as everyone walked their separate ways. He and Riku walked in silence, not wanting to bring anything up. Riku let his senpai have some alone time by saying he was going to jog home and before Makoto knew it, he was walking alone along the beach. The sun was still high in the sky and he loosen his tie a little as he felt his feet carry him to the Iwatobi SC. "Yo, Makoto! What brings you here?" Goro grinned as Makoto gave a weak grin. "Nothing much. are you alright?" he asked as Goro sighed. "We've been shorthanded for a while now and no one seems to be wanting to apply for the job…" he groaned. "I tried to set up a small group for kids and we have some people joining but we don't have a coach so I think we might have to postpone it until we get a teacher." As he said those words, Makoto felt his mouth moving before he realized it.

Next thing he knew, he was at the poolside with a bunch of small kids, helping them to put on buoys and carry boards to the pool. He smiled as he interacted with them, thinking of his own siblings when he noticed a small boy standing apart from the group, a sad look on his face as he looked at the water. Makoto recognized the look immediately; it was the same one he wore whenever he was at the ocean, staring at it alone from the shore.

"Hayato, was it?" Makoto smiled as the small boy nodded. He looked ready to cry as he looked at the water. "Don't worry. We'll start with the kickboard and you have me to look out for you along with your friends." I hate swimming." Those words rocked Makoto in the heart as he watched the small boy nearly burst into tears. "I don't wanna swim. I'm so scared whenever we get into the water. I… I just want to stop!" Small tears fell from his face as Makoto tried to reassure him. Goro helped with that and soon they were swimming in the water, Hayato barely keeping up as the others swam on. As the days went on, Makoto was thinking of how to get the small boy to overcome his fear when an idea came to mind.

"Why don't you try backstroke? I'll support your arms. All you have to do is kick," Makoto offered but Hayato looked scared out of his wits. "I don't wanna…. I won't be able to see what's below me…" he whispered. "Don't worry. I'll be there for you. Just look up and picture the sky." Slowly Makoto held the small boy by the hands and let him lie flat on his back in the water. The boy shuddered, squinting his eyes shut as he pulled him gently along the line. "That's it. Now, open your eyes," Makoto whispered as Hayato slowly opened his eyes, gasping as Makoto smiled. He must have found the sight he had never seen before.

"Yo, Makoto!" Kisumi called as he ran over to pick up his little brother. Both boys had known each other since middle school but had gone their separate ways when they reached high school. "Thanks for taking care of Hayato for me," Kisumi grinned as Makoto waved his hands. "Don't worry. It was fun teaching him and the other kids," he smiled as Kisumi grinned, "Say, where is Haru? Its been a while since I saw that girl. She still into swimming I guess?" Makoto smiled fondly at the memory of them having a debate on which club to join back in middle school, with Kisumi trying to get them to join the basketball team. Asahi had several squabbles with him and Ikuya about it until Kisumi gave up.

"Speak of the devil," Kisumi grinned as Haru came into view, the back of her uniform soaked from her wet hair. "Haru, I told you to dry your hair a little," Makoto groaned inwardly as Haru came over. "Who's this?" "What?! You don't remember me?" Kisumi gasped as he feigned terror. Haru merely glanced at him as she said, "Let's go home, Makoto." "Ah," he muttered as Kisumi grinned, "Say, have you made a move on her yet? She's grown into quite a beauty…" "Kisumi-kun!" he yelled as the other boy grinned. "Well, gotta go home now. See ya soon!" he called as he ran off to get Hayato.

"You don't remember Kisumi-kun?" Makoto asked. "Of course I remember him. He was the one who tried to get us to join basketball," she said as he smiled inwardly. Haru had debated so much over which club to join and she had finally quit swimming until just last year. "Say, Haru. Do you know what to do with those calls from the scouts?" "No." "I thought so…" Haru went silent after that and Makoto thought he had struck a chord when she spoke, "What about you? Have you thought on what you want to do?" He stopped in his tracks for a moment, thinking about what it was he wanted to do. After teaching the kids, he finally thought he might have something he wanted to do with his life. But wold Haru be okay with it?

"Nope. I haven't decided yet!" he smiled as he continued to walk, a little too jumpy for Haru's taste as they walked. "For now, why don't we concentrate on regionals?" he said as Haru felt her blood run cold. She had been thinking about her future so much she hadn't had time to focus on the game ahead of her. "Hm," she mused as they went their separate ways. Haru plopped onto the bed, staring at the ceiling above her as she thought, "What would I do to make myself free?"


	24. Regionals and a kiss

**Since this is a reverse gender situation for Haru, I had a little fun writing about what might happen during her competition. Again, it varies from canon but I hope you guys like it!**

 **I don't own the characters (except for Riku).**

There they were again at the swimming arena, the sun sparkling high above their heads. Haru gulped, her throat dry from both the heat and the anticipation of what was going to happen. Now that they were at regionals, the school teams surrounding them looked way more intimidating than before but still, Haru wasn't too worried about it. After all, she didn't care whether she won or not… right? She clutched her head, thinking about what was her problem when she heard a group of girls passing by them. "You better watch out, Nanase. I'll smash my way through to nationals," Sakura grinned as she walked with her team. Haru's heart pounded faster, her face draining from all colour when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Haru," Makoto whispered as she shook his hand off and walked into the arena on her own. As the sound of people cheering and getting ready filled the air, she felt all her energy drain from her. She wanted to turn her heel and run back to Iwatobi and crawl under her bedsheets. She wanted to just disappear into the blue ocean and never come out of the water again. Most of all, she wanted to be… "Free," she whispered to herself as she stopped in front of the swimming pool. The place was alive with people running their warm-ups and she felt the intensity of the air rise as she clutched the railing hard.

"Wow, so many people!" Nagisa chirped as he leaned against the railing. His eyes sparkled with excitement not only for the relay but for his individual event. Rei and Riku looked scared but both of them were chattering their nervousness away with each other while Makoto went through the final details with Gou. As he rounded them up to tell them about their events, Haru sat on the bench, all the information sailing above her head as she thought of the nightmare she had the previous night.

 _She was in the arena, swimming in the pool, her arms rowing in and out of the water as she panted on her way back. Somehow, she felt as though something was dragging her deeper into the water, choking the life out of her as it dragged her under. She could feel her feet turning into lead, sinking to the bottom. "No… no… if I touch the bottom, I'll be disqualified!" she screamed internally as her feet sank further. Before she knew it, she was standing up in the pool, swimmers swimming past her as she stared into the lights shining above her. She had been disqualified. She lost her fight…. She lost her will to swim. What was the point when she was no longer free?_

Her body left the group and walked into the cool darkness of the waiting area, people milling about when she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, Haru!" Rin called as he turned her to face him. His face showed worry as he scanned her face. "I tried to call you for five minutes but you never answered. Sheesh! Whats wrong with you today?' he growled as she snorted. "Leave me alone, Rin," she scowled as he snatched her hand. "Don't do that. I'm worried about you. We all are. Something happened to you after prefecturals was done. What happened? You can tell me," he said, his face blushing a little as he tried not to think about what others were thinking now.

"Is it because you didn't get scouted?" he asked and she rolled her eyes at that. "I did," she muttered as his eyes shone. "Really? Did you accept any?" he blurted. "No," she said as he sighed. "Thought you would," he said as he muttered, "Don't let your feet drag you down. I know you. You might just want to pull a stupid stunt in the middle of the competition but please, don't do that. For your sake. And for mine," he said. "I wouldn't be able to swim if I know you can't swim. So please, swim properly," he said as he released her hand and walked away. Haru scowled at him but she could feel her heart hammering in her chest as she went to her team.

"Where did you go, Haruka-senpai?" Gou said as she shook the other girl. Haru had no will to fight her but for some reason, the spark within her rekindled once more as Makoto handed her her gear. "You ready for this?" he asked as she snatched her goggles and cap from him. "I'm fine," she scowled as she walked to the waiting area where a bunch of girls sat, some of them wringing their hands with nervousness as she plopped down on a chair. Her mind raced as she saw a few Miyagi High girls but Sakura wasn't among them so she felt at ease a little…

"Girls under 18, please make your way to the pool immediately," a voice called over the speaker and an attendant came to escort them to the poolside. As she walked to the pool, the nightmare came back to her and she had to bite her lip until blood was drawn to drown it out. Even as she heard the screams of her teammates cheering for her, she couldn't get over the shiver she had in her body as she made her way onto the starting block. "On your marks," the announcer said as she curled her body. Concentrate… concentrate… before she knew it, the gun went off and she shot into the water slightly later than the others. She cursed herself as she swam, moving as fast as she could to make up for the lost time.

"Swim swim swim, Haru! Go go go, Haru!' everyone yelled as she paddled hard, her lungs ready to burst even though she hadn't even swum 50m. She cursed herself as she swam, trying to surpass the others. She passed one, then another but the person in front seemed so far away. She reached her hand out only to close around darkness and she felt her legs getting dragged to the floor. No… she can't quit now, even though she wanted to desperately run from there… "Haru!" Rin shouted along with Makoto. "Don't give up, Haru!" he yelled as Haru's vision went a little bright, imagining Rin in front of her instead of the girl swimming ahead. "What's wrong, Haru? Don't you go dying on me now… swim!" he yelled as she made the turn and dashed forward, moving at such speed she could hear the gasps from the crowd.

She slowly felt the tendrils around her legs give way and she screamed for the final time as she burst forward, the legs of her enemy right in front of her. Why did Rin bring her back to reality when she couldn't focus? What made her think of him now? Why was she so desperate to please him and the others even though she wanted to take it easy? Why? Why? "Why?!" she screamed, some bubbles scattering from her mouth as she reached out, slamming her hand into the wall. The crowd exploded as she breached the surface, panting hard as she leaned against the wall, shaking as she heard the others shout, "She won!" She shakily looked up to see the number 1 blinking next to her name but she couldn't find the strength to give a shout of victory. Instead, she felt like all her guts had been scooped out and deposited in front of her.

"Good job, Nanase," the girl, Miya if she was correct, smiled as she offered Haru a hand. For some reason, Haru's vision was blurry as she shakily batted it away and attempted to climb out of the pool when she felt herself slip. She felt herself fall back into the water, the surface slowly enveloping her as she sank to the bottom, Miya shouting her name as she was dragged to the surface. "Medic!" a voice shouted as Rin shouted, "Wait, out of the way!" Haru could barely hear the babble of voices that followed when she felt her mouth slowly being pressed open and a harsh squeal as someone pressed their mouth on hers. "Come on, Haru!" Rin's voice drifted through her mind as her mind slowly became brighter when her eyes slowly opened to be met with red.

She sputtered as she coughed out pool water, slowly getting up as she braced herself on the floor. Makoto was with her in a flash, patting her back as he tried to support her. Some medics were there and one of them escorted her to the sick bay to examine her with Rin carrying her in his arms while the others were rushed back to prepare for their events while the next group of girls entered the arena. "Just a little lack of rest. You'll be fine in a while," the medic smiled as she patted her on her arm. "Congratulations on your win, Nanase-san!" she beamed but Haru couldn't find the strength to say thanks. "Man, you didn't have to overdo it that much…" Rin growled as he squeezed her hand. "You really have a good boyfriend, Nanase-san!" the medic grinned as Rin flushed bright red. "I'm not her boyfriend!" he snapped as the medic gave a wicked grin before ushering him out. "There now. Just rest and your team will come get you when you're feeling better," the medic smiled but Haru's didn't register what happened next as she was pulled under.

…

Makoto was on his feet in the instant when Haru collapsed into the pool. He felt his heart hammering as he called out her name, rushing to her side as she was dragged out of the pool to the side, her form unmoving as medics rushed to her side. Before he could do anything, Rin had appeared from nowhere and performed CPR on her, his mouth pressed onto hers until she coughed out pool water. Somewhere in his heart, Makoto felt more pain then relief to see his best friend get kissed by a guy, even though she was on the verge of dying.

"Come on, people! The next event is coming up!" the pool attendants said as they ushered the group of staring people back to the stands to make way for the next heat. Makoto could see Sakura eyeing Haru with a mix of jealousy and curiosity as Rin scooped her into his arms bridal style and carried her away to the sick bay. "Come on, Mako-chan. Let's get ready for our events," Nagisa said as he pushed the bigger boy back to the stands. Makoto's mind was too focused on Haru and he couldn't quite register what was going on even as he stood on the starting block, his mind in a daze when he heard the whistle for them to enter the water sound. "Come on, I need to focus. For Haru," he whispered to himself as he dove into the water and clutched the handles.


	25. Talking of the future

Haru had won the tournament. She's going to nationals along with the others since they won their relay. Rin won as well. _Speaking of Rin, he carried me away when I had collapsed. He felt so strong underneath me, even as I slipped away I could feel his warmth against my skin… he was concerned for me… Makoto… what had happened to Makoto then… I sensed him but he didn't come… don't be silly. He had a race after I was done. He couldn't be on my back and call all the time. So why did I feel like I had lost everything?_

The days after the tournament dragged on and soon Haru was facing herself in the mirror, dressed in plain clothes today. She couldn't be bothered to wear a yukata and was clad in normal jeans and a shirt with the words, ironically, free, splashed across it. Haru sighed as she yanked at her ponytail, wishing she could just cut it off so she wouldn't have to think twice about having to stuff it into her swim cap whenever she swam. Thinking about swimming made her stiffen before she walked out, knowing who was waiting at the entrance without having to look up.

"Good evening, Haru," Makoto smiled as he stood at the open door. Someday, someone may actually come in and do something to her if she didn't lock the door like she should but Haru couldn't be bothered. She had more things to worry about than locking the door, like… _my future_. "Something wrong, Haru?" Makoto asked as he walked next to her. " _Strange, don't tell me he couldn't read what was going on in my mind. Don't tell me I've lost him as well, the only person who understood me,"_ Haru screamed internally. Without thinking, he slid his hand into hers, making her stiffen a little as he blurted, "U, if you don't mind, let's stay like this for a while." She didn't have the energy to return the comment so she just walked hand in hand with him the rest of the way leaning into the calm aura he projected. He wasn't like Rin, who radiated power and determination when he carried her, even a spark of warmth and care…

Haru snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Nagisa's voice pierce through her foggy mind. Haru snatched her hand from Makoto's, hoping they didn't notice them doing so as she felt him sag next to me. She hoped she hadn't offended him that much since she wasn't thinking about it until now… "Eh? You guys didn't wear your yukata? You looked so pretty in yours last year, Haru-chan," Nagisa whined as she glared at him. He, Rei and Riku didn't wear yukata as well but Gou and her friend had. They walked off into the street, the lights blinking above their heads as people walked around in yukata, families chatting together whilst children played with masks and toys they had bought. Despite the bright atmosphere around them, the air around felt dark and heavy.

"Here, Haru," Makoto smiled as he handed her some grilled mackerel. Grateful for him buying it for her, Haru nodded her head as she lifted it to her mouth, biting into the soft flesh of the fish. Salt and lemon hit her senses as she swallowed, savoring the taste as she ate more of it. For a moment her spirits were lifted before Makoto said, "Haru, let's go there for a while." He led her away from the others, who looked at their direction with a little worry as they walked, moving up a flight of stone steps that overlooked the ocean. The moon was full tonight, shining above the water to make it sparkle in the moonlight.

"Its beautiful, isn't it?" Makoto smiled. Haru didn't answer the question, instead leaning against the railing to mutter, "What do you want to tell me?" At her words, he stiffened before he gulped. Now the tension was rising as he turned around to face her, for the first time in a long time not smiling his usual smile. His face was serious and Haru gulped as she dreaded the words. "Haru, what do you want to do in the future?" As he said those words, the lights in her mind exploded, leaving her stranded in the darkness as she tried to think of an answer. "I don't know." "We're graduating in a couple of months. When I saw what you wrote in your job choice, I got worried. Haru, if there is anything you're worried about, tell me. I'll help you."

"Leave me alone." "I can't Haru! You're hurting and I know it! Why can't you just tell me?" "Why do you have to butt into my business all the time?!" Haru yelled, her voice carrying in the wind as she glared at him. Her heart was racing and her face flushed from the heat. "You always thinks about others before yourself! Look at you! You don't even know what to do yet! So don't think about me and decide about your own path!" "Haru… I'm going to university in Tokyo." The words left his mouth so quickly that she thought she had misheard them. Haru's mouth hung open, not knowing what to say as he smiled sadly. " I decided a while back after I helped Coach Sasabe with the SC. I'm going to become a swim coach. But first, I have to go to university."

Haru's mind was in a blurr. _Makoto, going to university. On his own, in Tokyo… he's going far away… why is everyone going far away? Rin, he has always been out of reach for me. The others will be in high school while I have to leave. Why… why is everyone leaving me?_ "Why…?" Haru whispered before she lifted her face, feeling the tears run free as she screamed, "Why are you all leaving me? I… I don't know what to do anymore… I feel so trapped and I don't know what to do in life. Even with being in nationals, I feel so lost. Makoto… why didn't you tell me earlier?" "Haru…" he whispered as he approached her, wrapping her in his big embrace as he whispered, "I couldn't bear to hurt you anymore."

"Why? You could have just said something," Haru muttered. He felt so big and warm, since when did he become like this. Makoto felt so foreign to her now. _What happened to the boy who was shy and always stayed near me?_ "I'm sorry, Haru," he whispered. "Don't go apologizing to me," I muttered and with that I pushed him away, hard muscles on my palms as I shoved him away. "Fine! Do whatever you want! That's what I told you to do right? Live out your own life!" Haru screamed as she dashed from him, tears running from her face as she passed by astonished people. "They must have had a breakup or something." "Young love, it really hurts, doesn't it?" "Shut up.. shut up!" Haru screamed in her mind, sobbing even as the fireworks ascended above her head to explode in the sky.

…

Makoto leaned at the railing, his breath unsteady as he clutched his shirt. His heart was pounding so fast as though he had just raced, his chest warm where he had held Haru. She was so much more delicate than she looked, like she could break at any moment. He couldn't remember the last time she had cried like that, since she hardly ever showed any emotion. "Mako-chan! Wow, the fireworks are so pretty…" Nagisa called as the younger swimmers climbed the steps. As they admired the fireworks, Riku looked at his direction, sensing the guilty vibe coming from him.

"Where's Haruka senpai?" he asked as he approached Makoto. The older boy hung his head low before schooling his features into a smile. "Haru got sick so she went home early," he said but even Riku could tell that was a lie. He would have accompanied her otherwise. "I'm going to take a short walk. See you guys tomorrow," Makoto said, leaving the younger boys to stare at the display in the sky. Dammit, how did things ended up like that? He should have told her earlier, not when she was at such a crucial time like this… He found his hand holding his phone, the thumb hovering over the phone number of a certain swimmer. He sighed as he brought his phone to his ear, the calling signal already on as he spoke, "Hey, Rin."

…

Haru had another nightmare of herself being surrounded by dummies, the stands filed with wooden spectators frozen in applause. Scouts hung around the corners, their hands holding cameras and paper as they were in mid motion writing something. As she looked around her, the other swimmers had turned to wood, all of them stuck in mid crouch. As she did the same, everyone disappeared, leaving her to stare at the empty pool before something grabbed her neck, dragging her underwater, her voice dying as bubbles escaped from her lips. "Someone, help me…" she whispered as she heard the sound of banging in the fog.

She twisted in the sheets, the sun already in the sky as she turned to look at the alarm clock. Frowning that she had been woken up well before her waking up time, she padded down the stairs, not caring to throw on a jacket to cover her chest as she swung the door open. Her comment stuck in her throat as she stared at Rin, who was clad in proper winter clothing. Was he nuts? Its summer and baking hot. "Morning, Haru. Get packing. The plane leaves in three hours," he said as she stared. "Come on," he said as she frowned, "What the heck are you talking about?" "Oh, didn't I tell you? We're going on a road trip. Oh yeah, and get your passport, you'll need it." "Where are we going?" she growled as he smirked. "Australia."


	26. Trip to Australia

"Haru is stuck. She doesn't know what to do with her future. She feels so… lost. And I don't know what to do about it. Please, you're the only one who can help her." As Makoto spoke through the line, Rin sighed as he thought how this was turning. "You're closer to her. Why don't you say something?" "I did and I made it worse." "Speaking of which, has she chosen what to do in the future?" "That's what we were talking about before… anyway, I need you to show her the sight she needs to see." "Ah, there we go with that again," he groaned as he flipped through his computer. As the printer came to life, he thought of how weird this was getting, as though he had expected this to happen. Well, he had been planning to go to Australia all this time but he didn't expect to bring her along with him, as though they were a… couple…

"Oi, you sure you don't mind about this? People are going to get ideas and don't you guys have school?" "Don't worry, I'll handle it. Just help her find her dream." The end dial had sounded and Rin sighed, turning to face his computer as he read the details of the flight. "Oi, are you sure you should be doing this?" Sousuke called from his bed. Rin chuckled as he stuffed the tickets into his bag and moved it to the door. "Yeah, if it helps her see the sight she needs to see," he smiled as Sousuke grinned. "I never knew you cared about her so much," he said as Rin snarled, "Shut it". Trying to hide his scarlet face, Rin turned off his computer and flicked off the lights.

The next thing he knew, he was walking with Haru to the airport, scanning in their tickets and loading off their luggage and sitting in the airplane. He smiled a little as he thought of how Haru must be feeling about this whole trip, guessing she hadn't been on an airplane before. His hand moved to hers, wanting to hold it for reassurance when he snatched it away. No! He couldn't be doing this now! Even though they may look like a couple going on holiday… he shook his head as he put on his headphones, trying to drown out his beating heart as the airplane blasted through the sky.

Rin was glad that he was back in Australia, even though he didn't have the best time about having to learn English in such a short amount of time. He recalled having to pick up the language quickly and how it had been trying to describe something to his classmates without making himself look like an idiot. Now, he stood next to Haru, his passport being handed to him as the immigration officer next door stared at Haru, peering at her photo on her passport. Geez, did she actually change it? "What is the purpose of your visit?" he asked, Haru squirming in her skin as she was bombarded with English. Rin sighed as he took his passport and headed over to her. "Sightseeing," he replied his English a little rusty after not using it for so long. The officer eyed them as he handed Haru her passport, freeing her from her torment as they walked away to pick their luggage.

"This is not a date.. this is not a date…" Rin chanted over and over in his mind as he stalked way ahead of Haru. He didn't look at her even as they went to the bus, just handing her their tickets before sitting in an opposite chair. She was clearly being distraught as she was in a foreign country and he grinned to himself as he thought how she must be right now. No, now wasn't the time to be amused about her reactions, he has to show her the sight she wanted to see, although he didn't really know what would motivate her at this point…

The bus rumbled to a stop at the station, leaving them at the entrance to a park. Rin walked to the fountain, motioning her to sit down as he put his rucksack to the ground. "I'm going to get us some drinks," he said as he walked away, the air chilled since it was winter time now in Australia. He was glad Haru knew they had the difference in weather here as he punched his finger on the vending machine button, the machine chugging out two bottles of water. He used to come to this park when he lived there with Russell and Lori and he could still remember their reaction when they had brought him to the ocean. He smiled as he thought of Haru's expression when he brought her there later…

He stopped in his tracks as his red eyes met clear blue ones, wide in terror as she searched for him. "Where did you go? I was worried that you left me here," she muttered as he sighed, handing her a bottle. "Sheesh, you know English so you should be fine." "I'm Japanese. I don't speak English." Suit yourself," he said as he slung his backpack over his shoulder when he felt the wind in his hair. Haru's face looked up to the distance as he smiled, leading her to the bus that stood at the corner. When they arrived at the beach, he could see Haru's eyes widen as they walked on the sand. Despite the cold, people were getting ready to surf. He let her stand there for a while, soaking in the salty air as he thought of his time in middle school, where he would play there to loosen up. He also remembered this being the place he had left behind swimming for what seemed to be the last time. Now, here he was, swimming in nationals back in Japan.

"There is one more place we're going to before we head to the hotel," Rin smiled as they pulled into a neighborhood. Haru looked amused as she glanced around at the brick houses before they pulled up at one. Standing at the door was a couple, the woman's hand flying to her mouth as she spoke in English, her words washing over Rin as she held him tight. The man smiled as he spoke to him as well. Haru vaguely caught pieces of their conversation, her English not being her best subject as she stood in the distance, trying not to butt into their conversation when he turned around. "Yo, Haru. This is Lori and Russell, my foster parents when I came here," he smiled as they spoke, "Hi Haru. Welcome to Australia. Rin's told us so much about you!" That she managed to catch.

"Hi… my name is Nanase Haruka…" she mumbled, her English sounding so bad she wished she could just pipe her mouth shut. They ushered the two teenagers into the house where the table was laden with food. Despite not being the biggest fan of western food, Haru's eyes hovered over the spread, her mouth watering a little as Rin talked with his foster parents. Her eyes glanced around the house, taking in how people from another country lived. Her eyes fell on the mantle place, pictures littering the surface including one of a young Rin with Russell and Lori in swimsuits.

"Say, Rin. Have you asked Haruka out?" Russell grinned as Rin tried to cover his blushing his face. "I don't have time for that, Russell! Also, I don't… aw, I don't want to talk about this!" "Haha, your boy has a lot to learn about the art of courtship!" Russell grinned and Rin prayed that Haru's English was bad enough that she didn't catch what was going on. Lori smiled instead and directed her attention to the grilled mackerel on the table. Once the word 'saba' was said, Haru's eyes lit up as she reached for the fish, eating it with satisfaction on her face. Rin smiled as he watched her, thinking that she did look cute…

He mentally smacked himself as he steered his thoughts away, turning himself to talking with Lori and Russell. They had done so much for him back then and he didn't know if he could ever repay them. Maybe when he had confirmed if he was truly coming back, then he could do something… before he knew it, dinner was over and they found themselves standing in front of the hotel, waving the couple goodbye as they headed inside. Rin spun the keys in his hand, ready to drop into bed when the door swung open to reveal a queen-sized bed. "EH?!" Rin roared as Haru stared at him. This was going to be a long night.


	27. An uncomfortable night together

**For some reason, I nearly forgot to write this chapter. But while writing it, it was so much fun to write about how they were flustered about it!**

 **I don't own the characters.**

"What kind of bullshit is this?" Rin groaned as he stared at the queen-sized bed in the middle of the room. He should have double-checked about whether they had given them king-sized beds instead of just assuming they did. "Come on, let's just go and sleep," Haru groaned as Rin gaped at her. Did she not see what the potential of the problem could be? Sleeping with a girl he wasn't even dating? Out of the question. "I'm going to reception," he growled as he whirled on his heel, stomping away as she grunted, "Should have told them you were a guy and not a girl." "Still?! They should have at least see the sense of giving us individual beds!" "Guess this kind of thing is common here." "Don't make things worse Haru!"

Not wanting to pay cancelation fees and making a hell lot of a racket and fuss about the matter, Rin found himself squashed in bed with Haru, trying to hide the flush in his face as he tried not to face her. She was smaller than him so on the plus part, they weren't so close to each other. Although he wished he had brought a shirt that at least covered more of his muscles. He knew he showed off way more muscle whenever he swam but when in bed, he thought she shouldn't be able to see him like this. He flushed to the tips of his ears, steam rising as he tried to shake off the embarrassment.

Haru couldn't really be bothered about it since she wanted to get to sleep but still, she couldn't ignore the warning bells going off in her head about having a guy a few inches away from her in the same bed. She had shared a bed with Makoto as children and it was a common thing to do so but now, she just felt like she wanted to squirm away, the only thing stopping her was that she had nowhere else to go. "Goodnight," she mumbled as she closed her eyes, trying to get some shuteye but she couldn't feel her mind turning off. Despite the fatigue of jetlag and traveling, her body wouldn't allow her to get the rest she needed.

"Hey, Haru," Rin whispered from the darkness, the fan above their heads still as he turned to face the ceiling. He wanted to catch a glimpse of Haru and how she looked like. The girl remained planted to her side of the bed, staring at the wall as she studiously ignored him. "Why did you drag me here all of a sudden?" she asked as he chuckled, "Makoto asked me to." He felt her shift in the bed as she answered, "Makoto isn't really the kind of person to make that sort of decision without telling me." "He was worried about you. We all were." "Don't remind me." "I'm serious Haru."

"Makoto sounded like he had been gutted when he explained the situation about you. I know how much he cares about you more so than himself but that guy… he should at least think for himself once in a while," Rin muttered as he tilted his head to the side, his face meeting with a wave of black hair. "Sorry for worrying you guys." "You're a teenager. Everyone goes through this all the time." "Not as much as I do, I think." "Haha, you might be right about that." "So, when are we going home?" "We just got here!" As Rin chuckled under his breath, he had to remind himself not to blurt anything out of the blue to her that would make her think that he was a creep, although he was quite tempted to ask about the question hovering in his mind.

"Hey, Haru. Did Makoto ever confessed to you?" That made Haru's heart jolt in surprise as she flushed. Makoto hadn't confessed to her but that didn't stop people from thinking that the two of them were dating anyway since they were so close and since she hung around with guys most of the time… "No, he didn't," she muttered. "That guy needs to get his feelings out in the open," Rin groaned to himself as he gulped, trying to stop the blush rising in his cheeks. Shit, he had girls confess to him before but not the other way around!

"What would you do if I said I like you?" Damn, that was a really roundabout question! Rin mentally slapped himself as Haru replied, "I'm not interested in that sort of stuff." Rin felt his heart pop like a balloon as he laughed his head off, thinking of how it was like Haru to reply about love. "Of course you aren't. Your head is just filled with free and swimming." "Shut it." Rin's laughter died down as he turned to face the back of her head, his eyes tracing the back of her head as he said, "I always thought you were an interesting person. Hopefully, when the time comes you might feel the same as well." _"Damn it Rin! You make it sound so confusing!"_ he cursed himself mentally as Haru muttered, "I'll have a think about it."

Rin felt as though he was about to burst from surprise and laughter as he thought about it. He had just, indirectly, confessed to Haru who said she might think about the possibility of them getting together. Not that it was the most important thing for them now. They had a swimming competition to win. "Tomorrow, we're going somewhere I always wanted to go," he said as she groaned, "Please be more specific." "Anyway, goodnight," he grunted as he turned to the side, his hand curling into a fist as he congratulated himself for manning up to confess to Haru, even though she had technically rejected him. Haru, on the other hand, was still staring at the wall, trying to figure out why her face was so hot when she dozed off into slumber.

…

Despite having earlier problems with sleeping arrangements, the both of them managed to get a good night's sleep, getting on the train the first thing in the morning about a reasonable breakfast of cereal and milk. Haru was starting to miss mackerel as she sat on the train, her stomach already rumbling from having eaten a little bit of cereal. Rin motioned her to get off as they changed trains, the platform deserted as they climbed stairs onto another platform before hopping on the train. She wondered how he could even remember how to get from one place to another without getting lost.

After about an hour of jumping off trains and platforms, they walked up a flight of stairs to come to a park, a large structure of concrete and glass shining in the distance as Rin smiled, "What do you think?" Haru felt her heart soar as she recognized the building as an indoor swimming pool, although not many people milled about at that point. 'The national team uses it most of the time but they open it for the public as well," Rin grinned as Haru tugged her bag, grateful for having at least bring her swimsuit with her.

"Come on, now. Let's get changed," he grinned as she looked at him. "What, swim here?" she blurted as he grinned, "Don't tell me you want to pass on a chance to swim in another country." "Fine you have a point," she grunted as she walked to the women's changing room, cursing inwardly about having a really bad understanding of English as she tried to make out the signs. She pulled on her swimsuit, the feeling of it being more foreign to her then before as she thought about her inner conflict about swimming. Just what did he want to show her here?

"Yo, Haru!" Rin called as he waved her towards him, a smile on his face as he held his goggles and cap in his hand. As they walked to the poolside, Haru heard a splash and shouts in English as someone dove into the pool. "Wow," Rin whispered as he watched the men swimming in the pool, their strokes fast and sure as they swam. "The national team. They're impressive, aren't they?" Rin murmured as he thought of how he would one day swim on a team like that. He made a note to go see his coach later and discuss the finer details about it, although he thought Haru wouldn't be too happy about having to find out he is going off to Australia so soon.

"Are you sure we can swim here?" Haru muttered as Rin slapped a hand on her back. "Don't chicken out here. Anyone can swim with the national team. It's just whether you have the guts to do so," he grinned as he walked over, standing in the middle starting block as Haru got to the one next to him. As she fastened her goggles and cap over her head, she felt someone staring at her and she turned to see one of the Australian swimmers smiling at her. "Morning, young lady. How's everything going?" he grinned as she thought, "Creep." "And dive!" he grinned as he dove into the pool, his body sending sparkles off the water as he dove in with barely a ripple in the surface.

As she stared at him, she turned to see the sight in front of her. The stands had suddenly become alive with people, the starting blocks filled with people of all kinds of nationalities, all wanting to win the race ahead of them. Flags of every design adorned the railing, languages of all kinds being said amongst the crowd. Haru looked in her hand and she saw the Japan flag painted on the side of her cap, the flowed blazing red as she fastened it on her head. "On your marks," the announcer said in English as she felt her heart race. What was this feeling? It wasn't the usual adrenaline rush she felt so often.

As the gun went off and she dove into the water, Haru spread her arms like wings, her body feeling light as though being carried by the wind. She could feel her mind wander off into the beyond and she smiled as the water greeted her. She had never felt so alive, more determined to win the race then she ever had been. She wanted to stand on this stage, surrounded by people with the passion to swim for both their country and for themselves. She felt a tear escape from her eyes as she felt her heart feel at peace after a long period of pain. She had found what she wanted to do.


	28. The finale

**This will be the final chapter for this story but there will be an epilogue at the end so don't worry! Its been a pleasure writing for you guys for the past four months and this has been one hell of a ride!**

 **Shoutout to Layla247, who comments on most of the chapters, Psychotic-Penguin13, AlisraSkywall and OntheRun246 for reviewing this story! Your reviews really keep me going as I wrote this story!**

 **Thanks to everyone who favorited and liked this story and followed it until now! There were bumps along the way but we made it! Now, on to the story!**

 **I don't own the characters.**

" _Eh? You serious about this?" Rin groaned from the other end of the line as Makoto sighed. Things were getting desperate and the more he saw Haru in predicament, the more worried he got. He had to give her over to Rin for the time being as he was the person she managed to inspire to come back to swimming, so hopefully, he would be able to do the same for her. "Sheesh, and I'm planning to go to Australia soon as well. Whatever, whatever it takes for her, I'll do it. Although I don't think she'll be pleased to be dragged to the other side of the world first thing in the morning. Now leave me to make sure that girl get's that brain of hers straight!" As the phone hung up, leaving a beeping sound in his ear, Makoto let his hand fall beside him as he stared at the lanterns floating on the water in the distance, his heart turning as he prayed for Haru._

Makoto stood outside of the national stadium in Tokyo, glancing at his watch as he scanned the street for Haru. She and Rin were due back today and he was getting worried about them not being able to get into the pool for their warmup practice. Nagisa, Riku, and Rei had to be shooed into the pool by Gou and Amakata sensei as he waited for them, his heart pumping as he heard a familiar shout. "Oi, Makoto!" Rin called as he waved, his red hair covered by a cap as he grinned a smile full of sharp teeth. "Welcome home you two!" he smiled as he gave both of them a hug. As he hugged Haru, he sensed her body was much less tense than last time they had met and he could feel her aura being freer.

"You found what you needed to find?" he asked as Haru nodded. "Yeah, somehow," she said, a small smile pulling the side of her mouth as Makoto tilted his head with a smile, "Thank goodness!" As they waved their goodbyes to Rin who had to meet with his team, Haru and Makoto entered the stadium, the sounds of swimmers filing the air as they took it all in. "Wow," Haru gasped as she gazed at the sighed below her, swimmers swimming all four strokes in the gigantic pool below her. The water glistened under the light as people splashed through the water, their forms elegant and fast as they swam. She was taken back to the moment when she was in Australia, having just realized what her dream was.

"Makoto, thank you for letting Rin take care of me," she said as he turned to her, "I just wanted to make sure you were alright. Now that you've found your dream, I'm so glad!" "Yeah, I want to be a swimmer on the international stage," she said before smiling, "I'll accept the offer from that university Mikoshiba goes to if it is still available for me to take." Makoto's eyes lit up as he smiled, patting Haru gently on the head as he smiled, "I'm happy for you, Haru-chan." She grimaced at the nickname for a split second before her eyes darted to the pool to see Nagisa, Riku, and Rei at the side, waving in their direction. "Let's go practice," she said as they strode towards the stairs.

"Haru-chan! Welcome home!" Nagisa chirped as he barreled into her. Rei looked a bit disapproving at that but he gave her a small hug while Riku voted to go safely and gave her a high five as they stood in the shade of the complex, having just finished their trial run of the pool. They had done enough for the time being so they walked to the park nearby, the birds and cicadas chirping in the bushes and trees as they took in their surroundings. "Wow, there's a small pond there!" Nagisa said as they made their way to the small pond in the middle. Small goldfish and carp swam in it, the light sparkling off the surface of the water as Haru knelt down, playing with the water as she said, "I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry for worrying you guys so much with my behavior about not being able to decide on my future. But you don't have to worry now. I managed to find the sight I wanted to see," she said as she got up, turning to face them. "Guys, I want to stand on the world stage," she smiled as the team felt the wind blow in their direction. For a brief moment, they could glimpse the sight she had saw, the stands screaming with world flags and teams supporting each other as they swam in the arena. "Wow, its beautiful," Riku whispered as Rei sniffed, "So bright." "Now, shall we go and swim?" Haru said as the team lifted their hands into the air to form a fist bump of five. "And go… Iwatobi High, fight!"

…

It was time. After having so much trouble thinking about her future, she had finally thought of what she wanted. Now all she had to do was to take the first step into the world of competitive swimming and it starts right now. "Nanase, you're different today," Sakura muttered as they waited in the waiting area. "You in the same heat as me?" she groaned, wondering why she was always stuck with her. "No, I'm in the one after. Geez, don't tell me you never check who you're swimming with." "Don't know. Don't care." "Darn…" As Haru fiddled with the cap in her hands, Sakura spoke, "I heard you went to Australia with Rin."

"Yeah, what about it?" "Don't tell me you didn't think it was awesome? It was an overseas date! How awesome was that?" "You're nuts." "But somehow," she smiled as she looked at Haru, "That trip brought you something you had been wanting for a long time, right?" Haru stiffened a little as the other girl patted her on the shoulder. "I know you never considered me as your rival, but mark my words, today, I will win! "Whatever," Haru muttered but she squeezed her hand all the same as the announcer called for them. "Good luck," Sakura said as Haru walked out with the other girls, the stands calling her name as she walked out.

"Be one with the water," she whispered to herself as she splashed water on her chest, moving to stand on the starting block. "Don't fear it," she continued as she bent her body, sensing the others do the same. "Once you dive in," she thought as the gun went off, "The water will bear its fangs and attack." She dove in, her feet kicking to the surface. The water was so cold, trying to drown her as she reached for the surface. " _But there is no need to fear. "_ She breached the surface and thrust her fingers forwards. _"Thrust your fingers forward and carve an opening."_ She could feel her body move forward, the water taking it with the flow. _"Then, slide your body through it."_ Her body continued with the motion, moving as fast as it could through the water.

As she swam, the shouts of her team filled the air. Makoto's face swam into her mind, his kind green eyes brimmed with worry as he shouted about his concern for her. Nagisa came next, his small frame facing the curtain as he shouted how he wanted to stay on the team. Rei floated up, his face screwed up in anxiety and worry as he tried to swim and the triumph on in face as he learned butterfly was his stroke. Then Riku came up, his face contorted with sorrow and tears as he explained how lonely he had been and how they inspired him. Last of all, Rin came into focus, he smiled as he said, "I'll show you a sight you have never seen before."

" _That's true, Rin. You showed me a sight I always wanted to see. Guys, everyone… you did so much for me, even though I gave so much trouble!"_ As she made the turn, the crowd's screams went crazier as she paddled forward, the familiar ache in her chest rising higher by the minute. _"This time, even though I am alone in this competition, I will carry your hopes and dreams with me!"_ "Go go go Haru! Last spurt!" as Iwatobi chanted her name, Haru smiled as she paddled forward, her opponents lost in the large volume of water enveloping her as she reached for the light in front of her. _"Today, I take a step forward towards my dream!"_ she screamed in her mind as she slammed her hand onto the wall, her head breaching the surface the crowd screaming her name.

"She did it!" "It's a miracle!" "Holy shit!" As everyone went crazy, Gou and Amakata-sensei crying into each other, Haru turned to stare at the board, the number 1 flashing next to her name as she thought, "I did it." "Oi don't go running on the floor!" "Haru!" Haruka-senpai!" Haru-chan!" A hand reached for her despite the yells of the pool attendants and Haru looked up to see Makoto smiling at her as he said, "Congratulations, Haru-chan." "Lay off the –chan," she muttered as he smiled, "Sure, but for now, we better get moving or they might yell at us." "They already are, moron." As she took in the victory she had achieved, she couldn't help but look up at Rin, who smiled at her direction as she mouthed to him, "Thank you."


	29. Epilogue

**At long last, this story has come to an end. Thank you so much for being on this journey with me these past few months and remember, always be free.**

 **I don't own the characters (except for Riku).**

"Hey, Haru-senpai! Have you finished packing for your move to Tokyo yet?" Riku asked as he swept the floor of the changing area. "Hm, sort off," she muttered as Makoto groaned, "She barely packed anything." "You shouldn't baby her too much, Makoto-senpai," Riku groaned but as his eyes fell on the room, he couldn't help but smile as he thought of the fond memories he had made in that one year. A picture of them and Haru holding her gold medal was framed in the corner, all of them smiling, even Haru, as they posed for the camera. Due to that, now they have to make sure their legacy would leave on as they graduated and leave the club in their hands.

"I have to make sure we get members or I'll be the only club member left when I get into third year!" Riku vowed as Makoto grinned, "I don't think you'll be the only one, Riku-kun." As he said those words, Riku bowed low to them, making them stare in shock as he said, "Thank you so much for the sight and experience you have given me! I will treasure them for life! Thank you for leaving this club into our hands, despite how incapable we are!" "Don't be so negative, Riku-kun!" Rei shouted as he slammed a hand into the younger boy's head, making him wince as he groaned, "Senpai…"

"Don't be so hard on the new kids, Rei," Haru said as Rei puffed his chest, "As the new captain of the club, I have to make sure everyone is in a positive mindset and disciplined so we can continue your legacy! We'll make sure we do well this year!" "But before we do that, shouldn't we make sure we can recruit more people, Rei-chan?" "Gah, I totally forgot about that!" "Come on, guys. If you want to recruit more members, you need to help me here," Gou groaned as Riku frowned, "Just what are we doing that requires so many costumes and making them?"

As their juniors bickered among themselves, Haru and Makoto walked out, the wind turning a bit chilly even as they entered spring. They would leave for Tokyo in a few days for university, something Haru never thought she would have to face until now. At least Makoto was going to be living close to her so that was fine. "Are you nervous, Haru?" Makoto asked, reading her thoughts as she muttered, "You should be able to tell." "Ah, I'm nervous too but I'm excited as well. Having to move to a city with so many people, it's scary, isn't it?" "But then, at least we can see each other on weekends and you'll be able to find friends in the swim club," Makoto offered as Haru frowned, "I don't need anyone." "Come on!"

"Hey, Mako-chan! Haru-chan! Are we going to go to Samezuka for the surprise or what?" Nagisa called as they turned, their juniors smiling and waving as they awaited their arrival. "Shall we?" Makoto asked as Haru looked at the pool for the last time. Her heart pained to part with it but as she parted with the school and club that brought so many memories to her in the past month, she smiled as she nodded, "Let's go!"

…

"Took you guys long enough," Rin grinned as he stood in front of the door, his arms crossed as he shouted, "Welcome to paradise!" As he shouted, he slammed the door open with his fist to reveal the open air pool, sakura blossoms floating on the surface of the water as the Iwatobi team shouted in glee. "That's just insane!" Riku shouted as he ripped off his shirt to dive in. "Don't forget us!" Nagisa yelled as Makoto held out a hand to Haru. "I'm going," she said as she dashed past him to the pool as he whined, "Hey Haru!" "Come on, guys! Let's party!" Rin shouted as everyone barreled into the pool laughing as they splashed water at each other.

"How did you managed this?" Makoto asked as Rin grinned, "I managed to get permission from the sensei to open the roof and let the cherry blossoms fall in. May have one hell of a cleanup later though." "Thanks for everything, Rin." "Don't mention it." As both of them watched their juniors swimming, both their gazes fell on the one girl in the pool, her face facing the sky as she floated serenely on the water. "You know what, maybe one day I might just ask her out," Rin said as Makoto looked flabbergasted, "What?" "Come on, Makoto. She's a girl and she's single. No reason not to ask her out right?" "Rin!" "Be a man before someone takes her." As Makoto turned bright red, he turned to face his childhood friend as he said, "I'll leave love for another time." "Sheesh," Rin mumbled just as Momo decided to splash water into his face, making him gag and chase after him at full speed.

…

"Makoto. We're here," Haru's voice floated in his mind as he slowly opened his eyes, having just had a weird nightmare of Haru jumping into a pool and him almost drowning trying to catch her. "Oh, thanks," he said when he saw the hand offered to him. "Thanks, Haru-chan," he smiled as they grabbed their luggage and walked out into the city of Tokyo. "Wow, so many people," Makoto gasped as people milled about, all going about their own business as the two new university freshmen made their way to their campus. They would split up at the intersection up ahead since they had to get their places ready before classes start the next day.

"You nervous, Haru?" Makoto asked as they waited at the red light, people around staring at their phones, leaving them in their own little world. "A little," she muttered as he smiled, "Don't worry. All of us are here for you. Even though they are back home, they're wishing all the best for us." Haru gazed at the sky, the single feather of a hawk flying to the ground as she snatched it in midair. She recalled having first started middle school and the same thing happened to her. She thought of Ikuya and Asahi, the friends she had made back then and wondered what happened to them. Who knows, she might meet them again. "Let's do it," she said as the light changed green. As they made the step forward towards the future, Haru thought of the single most important thing to her. "I am free."

 **Man, I want to cry thinking about this being the end but everything has to end at some point (so depressing especially when it is awesome). Anyhow, the anime will be out for the third season in a few months so fingers crossed!**

 **Ave atque vale and until we meet again, sayonara.**


End file.
